Comets push past Raiders for week one victory

MOORPARK, CA (9/2/2023) – The Palomar College Comet football team opened their 2023 season with a 31-23 victory over Moorpark College on Saturday night.

The Comets struck first on an 11-yard rush from sophomore running back Omarion Ireland after the Raiders fumbled a punt and the Comets recovered the ball on the Moorpark 13-yard line. The Raiders responded with a rushing touchdown of their own to even the score before tacking on another seven to take a 14-7 lead with 3:32 to go in the first quarter. 

Palomar's defense got a stop on third down to force the Raiders to punt from their own 36-yard line. With the ball downed on the Comet 10-yard line, Palomar drove 90 yards to even the score on a 1-yard rush from sophomore running back De'Marcus Carr to begin the second quarter. Ammanuael Kidanemariam nailed a 25-yard field goal for the Comets to go up three at the half. 

Moorpark tied it up again on their opening drive of the second half on a 25-yard field goal of their own. Later in the quarter, the Comet defense held the Raiders to one yard before forcing them to punt once again. After a botched 10-yard punt by the Raiders, the Comets started their drive on the Moorpark 34-yard line. Freshman quarterback Jaden White kept the ball and rushed in for a 34-yard touchdown to give the Comets a 24-17 lead. Moorpark closed the gap in towards the end of the third quarter on a 38-yard field goal. 

Palomar had possession the majority of the fourth quarter and it paid off when Ireland had a 48-yard touchdown run to give the Comets a 31-20 lead with four minutes to go. Moorpark kicked a 25-yard field goal with about a minute to go in the game to make the final score 31-23. 

The Comet offense totaled 348 yards while the defense gave up 481 yards. The run game was successful for Palomar as Ireland, Carr and White did the heavy lifting with four rushing touchdowns. Ireland finished with 139 yards on 14 carries. Carr finished with 63 yards on 17 carries. On the passing side, White threw for 100 yards, going 11-24 with a long of 27 yards. Freshman tight end, Quincy Herron led the receivers with 34 total yards on two receptions. Freshman Jake Whitehead had three receptions for 28 yards, including a diving catch between two defenders to help set up the Comets' second touchdown. 

Defensively, the Comets had four takeaways, including two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Sophomore Jason Pugal returned an interception for 23 yards in the fourth quarter. The Comets had three sacks for 16 yards and eight tackles for loss totaling 28 yards. The defensive line and linebackers held the Raider offense to just 42 rushing yards. Kidanemariam had nine punts, five of which he pinned inside the 20. Gavin Galzote, Isaiah Dixon and Carr each recorded a kickoff return. 

Palomar will face El Camino College on Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Escondido High School. Both teams enter week two with a 1-0 record.