No. 20 Citrus stuns No. 2 Mt. San Antonio in historic 48–43 upset

GLENDORA – Citrus College Football delivered one of the program's most memorable wins on Saturday night, shocking No. 2-ranked Mt. San Antonio College 48–43 in front of a packed Citrus Stadium crowd. The victory marked Citrus' first win over Mt. SAC in more than 30 years and their first-ever conference triumph against the powerhouse Mounties. 

Mt. SAC, last year's 3C2A state runner-up, entered the night undefeated, but left with its first loss of the season as the Owls completed a stunning comeback. With the win, Citrus improves to 3-1 overall, while Mt. SAC falls to 3-1. 

The game started in disastrous fashion for the Owls, who were pinned at their own one-yard line on their first possession and immediately surrendered a safety. The Mounties quickly built a 26–7 lead early in the second quarter behind two rushing touchdowns and a 38-yard scoring strike. 

Citrus found life midway through the second quarter when Elijah Ybanez picked off a pass to set up a quick strike from quarterback Brian Salazar Jr. to wideout Jojo Enriquez, cutting the deficit to 26–14. After another Mt. SAC score, Salazar connected with JP Sandiford for a 31-yard touchdown to bring the Owls within 33–21 at halftime. 

The second half belonged to Citrus. The Owls opened with an 85-yard drive capped by a Salazar quarterback sneak to make it 33–28. After a Mt. SAC field goal, Salazar rolled out and found Lorenza Simmons for a spectacular 75-yard touchdown, trimming the lead to two. Moments later, Simmons struck again—this time a 15-yard grab, giving Citrus its first lead of the night, 41–36, late in the third quarter. 

The Owls defense then came up with a huge takeaway as Thomas White forced a fumble, recovered by Bear Baker. Six plays later, Keyonn Chatmann punched in a rushing score to push the Citrus lead to 48–36 heading into the fourth. 

The Mounties pulled within 48–43 with five minutes left, and after a Citrus punt, had one last chance. Driving to the Owl 10-yard line with under 20 seconds remaining, Mt. SAC faced 4th-and-6. Durand Johnson made a great play, intercepting the final pass of the game on the goal line to seal the historic victory. 

Citrus' offense rolled up 489 total yards, led by Salazar's career performance. The sophomore quarterback went 25-for-38 for 389 yards and five passing touchdowns, adding a rushing score as well. Simmons finished with nine receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while Bateman added seven catches for 113 yards and a score. Sandiford and Enriquez each hauled in a touchdown reception. Chatmann led the Owls' the ground game with 63 yards and a touchdown. 

Defensively, the Owls were just as clutch. White led the team with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Baker recorded nine tackles and a fumble recovery, while Ybanez stuffed the stat sheet with eight tackles, one interception, and two pass breakups. Jarrel Comer added two sacks in the second half to help stall Mt. SAC's comeback effort. 

The win, which snapped decades of frustration against the Mounties, will go down as one of the biggest in Citrus College football history. 

The Owls now turn their attention to Santa Ana College (0-4), traveling south for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, September 27. 

(Citrus College Athletics)

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
NATIONAL DIVISION NON-LEAGUE GAMES    
Butte 43, Modesto 29
Diablo Valley 48, Sacramento CC 17
Foothill 35, Sierra 21
Monterey Peninsula 41, Laney 14
Reedley 35, Shasta 34
San Mateo 38, American River 14
Santa Rosa 20, San Jose CC 17
Sequoias 41, Redwoods 21
San Francisco 29, Fresno City 28

AMERICAN DIVISION NON-LEAGUE GAMES   
Coalinga 28, Chabot 7
De Anza 35, Siskiyous 24
Feather River 62, Hartnell 12
Los Medanos 76, Cabrillo 29
Merced 52, Contra Costa 20
San Joaquin Delta 52, Gavilan 6

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL NORTHERN
Allan Hancock 39, Santa Ana 20
Citrus 48, Mt. San Antonio 43
Long Beach CC 56, Santa Barbara CC 7
Ventura 52, Moorpark 39

NATIONAL CENTRAL
Canyons 20, Pasadena 14
Cerritos 68, Orange Coast 0
Fullerton 55, East Los Angeles 21
Golden West 21, Bakersfield 13

NATIONAL SOUTHERN 
El Camino 52, Chaffey 35
Saddleback 40, Riverside 34
San Diego Mesa 28, Palomar 21
Southwestern 31, Mt. San Jacinto 10

AMERICAN DIVISION NON-LEAGUE GAMES   
Antelope Valley 38, Glendale 27
Grossmont 48, Los Angeles Valley 10
Los Angeles Southwest 63, Los Angeles Pierce 21
Santa Monica 66, Desert 28
Victor Valley 33, San Bernardino Valley 27
West Los Angeles 63, Compton 0