HORNETS BLOW PAST PASADENA THANKS TO SECOND HALF ERUPTION

What started as a tightly-contested first half on the road Saturday night turned into a Fullerton football showcase as the No. 6 Hornets unleashed a dominant second-half performance to pull away from Pasadena City College 43-14 in a SCFA Central matchup.

Fullerton won its 6^th straight game and is now 7-1 overall with an undefeated 5-0 Central Conference record. The Lancers fall to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in conference-play.

The last time the Hornets and Lancers last battled it out was back in 2011- a 30-20 Pasadena win. Going into tonight's game, the all-times series was tied up with 46 games being played going all the way back to 1925- a 35-0 Lancer victory. Fullerton now owns the series by a narrow 24-23 margin.

FC got on the board in the game's opening drive when quarterback Chris Lundsberg connected with wideout Logan Lester on a 5-yard touchdown pass capping a 57-yard drive. The extra-point attempt by Nicholas Sandoval was no good giving the Hornets a 6-0 lead.

Pasadena City responded with a strong second-quarter drive that went for 75 yards. QB Xavier Buckles hit Javery Mayberry for an 18-yard touchdown, and Zack Hutchinson converted the PAT that allowed Lancers to leap ahead 7-6.

With only 4 second left in the first half, the Hornets regained the lead behind Nicholas Sandoval's 30-yard field goal pushing the team in front 9-7 heading into the break.

Fullerton flipped the switch in the second half scoring 34 points while suffocating the Lancers defensively to only one more score. Quintyn Isabell got things started with a 6-yard TD plunge to end a 72-yard drive. On the next series, Fred Hunter broke free for a 35-yard touchdown run that extended the lead to 23-7. FC continued to pour it on when Jack Schierholz powered in from 7 yards out to close the quarter 30-7 lead.

Pasadena City briefly halted the momentum with a 61-yard touchdown connection from Gianni Mascolin to Aiden Wood early in the fourth, but the Fullerton responded immediately on the ensuing kickoff. JT Weir had one of the prettiest kick returns in recent FC history slashing through tacklers for a 93-yard touchdown return. Moments later, Weir struck again hauling in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Lundsberg to close out scoring barrage.

Quarterback Chris Lundsberg delivered through the air going 8-16 for 110 yards with 2 touchdown passes that was highlighted by scoring throws to JT Weir and Logan Lester. Weir led the receiving corps with 5 catches for 75 yards and a TD, while Lester pulled in 3 receptions for 25 yards and a score. Fullerton's ground game was the true separator as dual-threat quarterback Jack Schierholz led all rushers with 109 yards on 11 carries, including a big 50-yard touchdown that broke the game wide open. Running back Fred Hunter followed up posting 104 yards on 10 attempts with a 35-yard TD burst of his own. Quintyn Isabell chipped in 61 yards and a touchdown as the Hornets averaged 7.9 yards per carry.

Defensively, Fullerton imposed its will holding Pasadena to 71 total rushing yards and just 4.9 yards per play. Jahmeer Cartegena broke through with 6 tackles, while Ethan Charpentier and Nathan Lewis added 5 tackles each. Xander Chisolm had a pick with 3 tackles.

Up Next: The No. 6 Hornets (7-1 overall, 5-0 SCFA Central Conference) head back out on the road next Saturday, November 1^st when they face off with No.9 Cerritos College for another SCFA Central Conference showdown. Kickoff is at 6:00 pm.

*Photo by Kaysea Luna