Owls Battle to the Wire, Fall 35–30 to Pasadena City in the Golden State Bowl

No. 20 Citrus College came up just short in a back-and-forth thriller, falling 35–30 to No. 23 Pasadena City College in the 2025 Golden State Bowl Presented by Raising Cane's on Saturday afternoon at Citrus Stadium.

In a game loaded with momentum swings, big-play offenses and standout performances on both sides, the Owls and Lancers delivered a bowl matchup that kept the crowd on its feet throughout.

Pasadena jumped out to a 14–0 lead in the first quarter, capitalizing on a Citrus fumble and converting both early possessions into rushing touchdowns. The Owls settled in early in the second, getting on the board with an Alex Hernandez 41-yard field goal before the defense sparked the first major shift of the game. Jacob Cox grabbed the first interception of his Citrus career, and four plays later, on 4th-and-5, Brian Salazar Jr. hit Cameron Bateman on a 44-yard strike that the standout receiver turned into his 14th touchdown of the season, cutting the deficit to 14–10.

The Owls grabbed another takeaway on the next Pasadena drive as Durand Johnson snatched his second interception of the year. On the very next snap, Salazar delivered again—this time a perfect deep ball to freshman Jalen Thompson for a 48-yard touchdown. The score gave Citrus its first lead at 17–14, which held through halftime.

Pasadena wasted no time flipping the script in the third quarter. PCC's All-Conference return specialist Noah Triplett took the opening kickoff 74 yards to the house, shifting the momentum back in PCC's favor at 21–17. Citrus' defense tightened from there—highlighted by a forced-and-recovered fumble by sophomore lineman Raymond Esparza—but the Owls couldn't generate points in the period.

Pasadena extended its lead to 28–17 early in the fourth after a grinding 10-play, 76-yard drive. Citrus answered quickly: after a 40-yard kickoff return by Caleb Morquecho, Salazar found Lorenza Simmons on a 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown to make it 28–24. PCC responded with a deep touchdown to push the lead back to 35–24, but Citrus wasn't done. Salazar connected with Jojo Enriquez for a 26-yard score with just over six minutes left, tightening the game to 35–30 after a failed two-point conversion.

The Owls defense delivered a final stop, but the offense had time for only one desperation heave—a long completion to Bateman—as the final seconds expired, sealing the bowl win for Pasadena City.

The two teams combined for 846 total yards, with Pasadena narrowly ahead 430–416. The major difference came on the ground, where PCC controlled the run game 134–39.

Salazar capped an outstanding freshman campaign by completing 22 of 37 passes for 377 yards and four touchdowns. Bateman earned Offensive Player of the Game honors with eight receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown. Enriquez closed his Citrus career in style with five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Thompson added two catches for 61 yards and a score, Simmons posted three for 40 and a touchdown, and both Keaton Morales (29 yards) and Drew Tapley (25 yards) had deep receptions.

Pasadena's Devon Jones was named Defensive Player of the Game after recording five tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. For Citrus, Maddox Barrios led the way with 11 tackles, followed by seven each from Cox (plus an interception) and Jacoah Chennault. Johnson added six tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Tyson Toscano also posted six tackles, including one for loss, while Thomas White, Esparza, Curlee Kirkpatrick Jr. and Bear Baker each notched four.

The Golden State Bowl MVP went to Pasadena's Triplett, who showcased his all-purpose talent with 50 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards and the pivotal kick-return touchdown that swung the momentum out of the halftime break.

Citrus closes the 2025 season at 6–5 overall and 4–3 in conference—a strong campaign highlighted by competitive performances throughout and a signature upset of current state No. 3 Mt. San Antonio College in September. The Owls now turn their focus to 2026 with sights set on a postseason return or another opportunity to shine on the bowl stage.