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Football gears up for final game of the season

© Katie Pyne
© Katie Pyne

The University of La Verne football team plays their 2017 finale against the Whitter College Poets this Saturday.

The Details: 

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

Stadium: Ortmayer Stadium, La Verne, Calif.

La Verne (2-5, 1-4 SCIAC); Complete ScheduleRoster

Whittier College (0-7, 0-5 SCIAC); Complete ScheduleRoster

Coach's Corner: 

Hal and Coach Krich discuss tomorrow's game against the Poets. Russell Boucher and Christian Hernandez on set.

The Match-Up:

The Leopard suffered a close 28-21 loss last week to the Sagehens but had some bright spots in the game. La Verne's defense looked solid with Jose Aguero and Andrew Camargo each picking off a pass. Aguero also blocked a Pomona-Pitzer field goal attempt and returned it to the house. The Leopards also had a solid running attack with 239 yards on the ground. 

Look for La Verne to take control offensively against a Poet defense that's giving up 550 yards a game.

The Poets are struggling. Whittier comes into the game with a 29-game losing streak with their last win coming in 2014 at Memorial Stadium against the Leopards.

Last Season: 

La Verne handed Whittier a 41-14 loss last season at Memorial Stadium.

Recent Series: 

The Leopards own the recent series against the Poets 4-1.

Who to Watch:

James Gonsalves came off the bench last week and racked up 132 yards on the ground, the highest single-game total for a Leopard this season. Look for him, Josh Evans, and Michael Medina to take advantage of a Whittier defense that's giving up nearly 200 yards per game on the ground.

The Leopards' defensive unit as a whole will look to put on a show. La Verne ranks second in the conference in yards per game and ranks in the top-three in nearly every major category in the SCIAC.

The Poets will rely on dual-threat quarterback Michael Avina to carry the load offensively. The sophomore has thrown for 1,653 yards and 11 touchdowns and has rushed for 403 yards and five more touchdowns.

What's at Stake:

Both teams are looking for a positive end to the season. The Leopards have been close in their last two match-ups and look to put it all together in front of a home crowd. The Poets will look to end their losing streak.

Senior Day:

Seniors from both teams will be honored in a brief pregame ceremony.

How to Follow:

LVTV will be broadcasting Saturday's game. The live feed and live stats will be available via the links below:

Live video feed

Live statistics

Live statistics