Saturday, November 1, 2025
Today was the Dia de Los Muertos in the Mexican culture that is so thankfully present in California. It is a day set aside to remember our ancestors that are no longer with us physically but still live on in our hearts eternally.
It was good to recall many random but cherished memories throughout the day of our loved ones.
I was excited when my bride, Laurie, said that she would be happy to join me in watching an NCAA DIII football game today in Claremont, CA, about an hour and forty minute drive from Camarillo.
It would be my first college game of the season and the 58th American football game that I've attended in calendar year 2025. That number includes 11-man and 8-man tackle contests as well as Men's, Women's and Co-Ed flag football games in Spain and California.
The SCIAC is California's
ONLY DIII Football Conference
With the closing of the programs at Occidental and Whittier in recent years, there are only six schools of the nine in the SCIAC left playing DIII football. Cal Tech dropped their football programs decades ago.
These six schools are now divided into two divisions for scheduling purposes.
Sun Division
California Lutheran Kingsmen/Regals
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags/Athenas
Redlands Bulldogs
Surf Division
Chapman Panthers
La Verne Leopards
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens
Each team plays the other two teams in their Division twice and the three teams in the rival Division once.
Saturday, November 15th, will be the SCIAC's Championship weekend.
The two Division #1 teams will meet with the winner claiming both the 2025 SCIAC Championship and the Conference's lone guaranteed bid to the 2025 NCAA DIII playoffs.
On that same day the SCIAC's two Division #2 teams will play as will the two #3 Division clubs.
Each SCIAC team will therefore have a ten game regular season slate of games save La Verne who for some reason only played one non-conference game instead of two like all the other schools.
On to our game today . . .
California Lutheran Kingsmen
5-2 Overall, 3-2 SCIAC
2025 Results
vs. Pacific Lutheran (4-3) – Won 18-15
at Puget Sound (1-6) – Won 55-28
at Redlands (5-2) – Won 27-10 *
vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (3-4) – Won 22-17 *
at La Verne (1-5) – Won 23-19 *
vs. Chapman (5-2) – Lost 35-25 *
at San Marcos (3-6) – Lost 25-0 *
vs. Redlands (5-2) – Lost 30-24 2OT *
* SCIAC Game
at
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags
3-4 Overall, 1-4 SCIAC
2025 Results
vs. Lake Forest (4-3) – Won 14-7
at George Fox (2-5) – Won 28-21
at Pomona-Pitzer (3-4) – Lost 25-17 *
at Cal Lutheran (5-2) – Lost 22-17 *
vs. Redlands (5-2) – Lost 17-10 *
vs. La Verne (1-5) – Won 22-19 *
at Chapman (5-2) – Lost 37-31 *
* SCIAC Game
We enjoyed a relatively traffic free drive in the Blueberry II through the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys on our way to Claremont.
Upon arriving on campus, we were
greeted by this stunning Science Building
It was Senior Day for the Stags
who were giving Thanks as we arrived
at John Zinda Field
C-M-S has two nicknames and logos
Since Stags would not be a fitting appellation for the Women's teams, they are known as the Athenas.
Cal Lutheran has a similar problem for their Women's teams, instead of Kingsmen, they are referred to as the Regals.
The Game Programs were free,
take as many as you desire
It was an absolutely . . .
. . . BEAUTIFUL day for
American football!
A fine Kickoff Return by CLU
to start things off
The Kingmen displayed a solid
Running Game . . .
. . . that set up good play action passes . . .
. . . like this one
C-M-S on the attack now
The Stags ran the ball well
Another 11-on-11 skirmish
Play action pass . . .
. . . to an open slot receiver
C-M-S had to settle for a
28 yard Field Goal
End of the First Quarter
CLU - 7
C-M-S - 3
Another PHYSICAL run by CLU
On my way to the snack bar for hot dogs
and a beverage for the two of us, I got
a new perspective on the game
The Stags trying to score just
before Halftime . . .
. . . got a great catch and run on
this play!
The drive ended with a desperation heave towards the End Zone that was intercepted at the one yard line to bring us to the intermission.
Halftime Score
CLU - 14
C-M-S - 3
The Third Quarter meant more
Kingsmen rushing plays
The Stags knocking on the door . . .
A wonderful straight arm helps
get C-M-S inside the five yard line
A play action pass . . .
. . . turned into this QB Keeper TD
with CLU's Goal Line Man Coverage
being of great aid
Later, the Stags missing this 26 yard
Field Goal, wide right, was crucial
When in doubt,
RUN THE BALL!
End of the Third Quarter
CLU - 21
C-M-S - 10
Fifteen more minutes for C-M-S
to find a way to win
This drive ended with . . .
. . . an excellent Punt
Nature called, so I headed to the nearby C-M-S gymnasium.
I liked this Record Board
The Basketball/Volleyball Arens
looked great to me
So did the Stags/Athenas Weight Room
History is always of interest
Commemorating the first Stags
football team in 1958
This Homecoming Game
program from 70 years ago
Time for a bit of clarification.
We were on what is known in general as the Claremont Colleges Consortium founded 100 years ago in 1925.
This large campus is the site of five undergraduate colleges.
Pomona College (founded 1887), Claremont McKenna College (1946), Harvey Mudd College (1955) and Pitzer (1963) are all Co-Ed colleges.
Scripps College (1926) is still a Woman's college.
The Consortium also includes two graduate colleges, Claremont Graduate University (1926) and Keck Graduate Institute (1997).
For many years, before the advent of women's intercollegiate sports, Pomona fielded competitive Men's teams.
Those original Sagehen football teams even played 21 games against the USC Trojans beck in the day.
While Pomona beat USC in 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1914, the Trojans still hold the overall lead in the series 13-4-4.
On October 6, 1923, Pomona and USC played the first ever college football game in the brand spanking new Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a USC 23-7 victory.
The last time the Trojans and Sagehens met on the gridiron was in 1925, an 80-0 USC win.
There are currently no plans to renew this honored football rivalry, although if USC does indeed drop Notre Dame as is rumored, the door may be ajar.
Back to the Claremont Colleges athletic programs. When Claremont McKenna opened in 1946, the two colleges combined forces in Men's Athletics for several years.
Eventually, with the addition of Harvey Mudd College in 1955, Pitzer College in 1963 and the advent of Women's collegiate athletics to finally include Scripps College's Women, a new scheme for athletics emerged.
The five undergraduate school would be divided into two groups for athletic purposes, each with their own separate athletic facilities.
Thus, we now see SCIAC games featuring the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens and their rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags/Athenas.
Yes, Paul and Michael, I have way too much time on my hands.
More ground level,
Fourth Quarter action . . .
. . . a run of course
This Stags' Sophomore WR's run
after catch . . .
. . . was ELECTRIC!
1-on-1 Goal Line Pass Defense
The next play was a run that broke
clean for a Stags' TD
The Stags' RB celebrated his TD
by jump-skipping all the way
through the back of the End Zone
Stags going for TWO!
A nice diving catch for those two
much needed points as the Stags
now only trailed by a Field Goal
Time was of the essence, could they get the ball back?
CLU's running attack said an emphatic,
"NO!"
as they ran out the clock
Final Score
CLU (6-2, 4-2 SCIAC) - 21
C-M-S (3-5, 1-5 SCIAC) - 10
It was a most enjoyable, competitive game on a bright, sunny day with my bride at my side.
What could possibly make the day better?
Why, of course, a Dodgers win tonight
in Game Seven of the World Series!
The World Series first six game's
results made it a 3-3 tie
Even in the Philippines they knew . . .
Game Seven was a Do or Die,
Winner Take All affair!
Game Seven was simply MARVELOUS!
So many emotion changing moments but in the end, it was Laurie's team that won.
It was the Dodgers in 11 innings!
Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas' 9th inning heroics included a game tying home run in the top of the inning and then an amazing defensive play in the bottom of the frame with the bases loaded to cut down the potential game winning run at the plate.
The Dodgers ever so valuable catcher, Will Smith, hit a home run in the top of the eleventh inning to give the Dodgers the lead.
With the Blue Jays threatening again, a Dodgers' double play to end the game was almost surreal.
But is was TRUE, the Dodgers
were World Series Champions again
This was the Dodgers' ninth all-time World Series Championship.
While still in Brooklyn, the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-3 in 1955.
Since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have won the World Series by beating the Chicago White Sox (4-2) in 1959, the Yankees (4-0) in 1963, the Minnesota Twins (4-3) in 1965, the Yankees (4-2) in 1981, the Oakland Athletics (4-1) in 1988, the Tampa Bay Rays (4-2) in 2020, the Yankees for a fourth time (4-1) in 2024 and now the Toronto Blue Jays (4-3) in 2025.
Only the New York Yankees with 27 and the St. Louis Cardinals with 11 have more World Series Championships on their resumes.
Back-to-Back
has a nice ring to it
Getting THREE World Series
pitching wins made this award
a no brainer
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the obvious choice.
Only one team was left standing
13 Wins and 0 Wins To Go!
They are also the first National League
team to repeat as World Series Champions
since the 1975-1976 Cincinnati Reds
What a magnificent World Series!
Finally . . .
56 Years ago today, I went sky
diving for the first and, to date,
only time
It was 1969 and I was doing my Student Teaching before graduating in December from the University of Washington.
I was joined by life-long friend Mark Johnson as we headed to Seattle Sky Sports in Issaquah, WA for this once in a lifetime experience that saw both of us jump solo on a static line after an intense two hours of instruction.
I went first, almost landed on a parked plane and did land on a large cow turd. I hope that didn't ruin the local ecological food chain in any way.
Good times, GREAT memories!
