The hype and excitement was nearly palpable from the Claremont Crazies after Claremont High School’s win at the Homecoming game on Friday, October 17 against Diamond Bar.

In addition to the game, senior Michaela Christiansen was crowned as homecoming queen during the night’s festivities. With the 25-0 win, Claremont is 1-1 in Palomares League standings.           

“It was an excellent game,” Head Coach Mike Collins said. “Our defense was spectacular for holding the Diamond Bar squad to zero, and our offense was very methodical and drove the ball hard. Our guys blocked great and our running backs ran the ball hard. So whenever [the team] does that, we get very excited.”

It took the Wolfpack only five minutes into the game to score a touchdown when quarterback senior Ryan O’Connor passed to wide receiver senior Jordan Goodrich for the score. Claremont went up 9-0 after a high Diamond Bar hike sailed over the punter’s head and into the end zone for a safety.

At six minutes and 32 seconds, Brahmas running back Austin Cox gained 40 yards, but Claremont stopped Cox short from reaching the end zone. The Pack was able to hold the Bruhmas to a field goal attempt that was blocked by linebacker Caleb Taylor. This was just the start of the Bruhmas scoring woes through the entire game.

With just less than a second left before halftime, junior CHS kicker Jacob Olesniewicz made a field goal for a 12-0 CHS lead.

Halfway into the third quarter, the Wolfpack scored another field goal, raising the score to 15-0. The Brahmas, who refused to admit defeat, doubled their efforts with an interception eight minutes into the quarter. But the Claremont defense stepped up again, quickly ending their drive and taking possession of the ball.

Starting the fourth quarter, the Brahmas fought back with ferocity. But CHS answered every challenge. The Pack kicked another field goal at seven minutes 23 seconds, making the score 18-0. For the finishing touch, quarterback O’Connor passed to running back Duy Tran-Sampson for the game-ending touchdown to fill out the final score of 25-0.

“This win means so much for us as a team because it’s our first homecoming game win since I was in eighth grade,” Goodrich said. “Our team did a good job executing Diamond Bar because we were so motivated to do our best and win.”

The Wolfpack has their next showdown against the Glendora Tartans at Citrus College on Friday, October 24. The Tartans are undefeated in league play at 2-0. But if Claremont comes through with a win, they will be in a tie for first place.

—Phumanee Nosavan