REDLANDS, Calif. – Coming into their game with the University of La Verne, the University of Redlands Football team (1-3, 1-1 SCIAC) had scored 13 points combined in the first three games, but on Saturday evening inside Ted Runner Stadium the Bulldogs put up 38 points beating the Leopards 38-17 for their first win of 2024.
Redlands totaled 355 Total Yards of Offense with 98 yards coming through the air and another 257 Yards on the ground. The Bulldogs defensively also held the Leopards to just under 200 Yards of Total Offense and limited them to just 59 yards rushing.
It took a few series to get the offense going, but in the final five minutes of the first quarter Jayden Mckey (Tracy, CA) found Grant Chaney (Upland, CA) for a 60 yard touchdown catch and run that was an acrobatic catch after the ball was tipped into the air and caught by Chaney who then proceeded to breakaway and score.
On the first play of the next defensive series the Bulldogs recovered a fumble, which turned into a four-play 25 yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a one-yard Calel Olicia-Aramboles (Westfield, IN) touchdown run that put Redlands up 14-3.
After another fumble forced, this time by Cal Breen (Bainbridge Island, WA) on a punt return, Mckey capped off a seven-play drive with an impressive 11-yard rushing score where he escaped from the pocket and made multiple defenders miss giving UR a 21-10 lead in the third.
The Bulldog offense got the ball right back after giving up a ULV 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown taking advantage of a tired Leopard defense driving 86 yards eating up 4:53 as Olicia-Aramboles scored again this time from a yard out.
In the fourth quarter the Maroon and Grey defensively were lights out with three interceptions coming from Kailob Haag (La Habra CA), Elijah Valles (Oceanside, CA), and Cole Smith (Gaston, OR) along with a 24-yard rushing touchdown from Isaiah Alvarado (Coachella, CA) to extend the lead to 18, 35-17.
The final points put up came from Sergi Rodas-Mendoza (Pacific Grove, CA) who hit from 40 yards out to complete the 38-17 win for the University of Redlands.
Alvarado had a career night with 149 yards rushing on only 15 carries. Olicia-Aramboles had his first two career touchdowns and Chaney's 84 receiving yards are a new career-high.
Jax Lee (Richland, WA) had only two tackles in the game, but they were both tackles for losses (TFL) and he forced and recovered a fumble. Aaron Muniz (Fontana, CA), Craig Hunter (Murrieta, CA), Cole Smith, and Sami Abdul Majid (Riverside, CA) combined for 10 tackles and each had a TFL. Maximus Susi (San Diego, CA) led the team with five total tackles.
The Bulldogs will now head on the road for their first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game away from Ted Runner Stadium coming next Saturday, October 12 at 7:00 p.m. at Pomona-Pitzer.
