LA VERNE, CA — In front of a sold-out, standing-room-only crowd at Ortmayer Stadium, the University of La Verne football team delivered a statement in its 2026 season opener, cruising past Azusa Pacific University, 30-3, on Saturday night.
The Leopards pulled away late, scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns. From the opening kickoff, the Leopards controlled the game on both sides of the ball, dictating the pace with a balanced offensive attack, a stifling defense, and a perfect showing in the kicking game. La Verne held the Cougars to just three points while steadily building its lead throughout the night.
The Leopards' rushing attack was paced by Tyler McCown, who powered his way to 96 yards on the ground, including a 12-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Jordan Hernandez provided another dimension to the offense, passing for 110 yards and a touchdown while adding 73 rushing yards of his own.
The Leo defensive effort was highlighted by Trevon Kenney, who came away with two interceptions, including a spectacular 49-yard pick-six that put the finishing touches on La Verne's dominant performance.
La Verne also received contributions from a deep receiving corps, with Noah Allen, Kasey Gillis and Jimmy Rumsey each making an impact. Allen hauled in five receptions for a team-high 57 yards, while Rumsey, who set the La Verne career receptions and receiving yards records last season, added three catches for 33 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown reception. Gillis contributed 39 receiving yards as the Leopards consistently moved the ball through the air.
While the offense found success, it was La Verne's defense that set the tone for much of the evening. Salvatore Felice led La Verne with eight tackles, including seven assisted stops and half a tackle for loss. Safety Chase Yanez was everywhere on the field and added seven tackles and a pass breakup, while Jomar Brown recorded four tackles.
Dalton Tagaloa was also active near the line of scrimmage, recording a pass breakup. Justin Mondini and Devin Martin each contributed three tackles, with Martin adding a quarterback hurry.
Kaleb Harrison finished with two tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup, while Nicholas Chavez and JonLuke Vega each recorded two tackles. Vega also added a quarterback hurry as the Leopards' defense consistently pressured the Cougars and limited their opportunities to sustain drives.
The defensive effort was complemented by a strong performance from La Verne's special teams unit, which provided the game's early scoring. Junior kicker Jacob Cuevas was a perfect six-for-six on the night, connecting on three field-goal attempts in the first half and all three second-half extra points. Cuevas' trio of field goals gave the Leopards a 9-0 advantage heading into the locker room and allowed La Verne to enter halftime with momentum despite a tightly contested first half.
La Verne pulled away in the fourth quarter, with the offense finding the end zone on the Hernandez to Rumsey connection for the first touchdown of the season.
The defense continued to keep Azusa Pacific off the scoreboard and then got in on the scoring when Kenney stepped in front of APU's Brandon Valencia's pass and took it to the house for the 16-3 lead. McCown powered the ball in on the Leopards' next offensive possession. The punishing senior running back averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
The Leopards ultimately outgained the Cougars, 308-116, while controlling the clock for 36 minutes of possession.
The combination of sustained drives, defensive pressure and timely plays allowed La Verne to turn its season opener into a convincing 27-point victory and send the sold-out Ortmayer Stadium crowd home happy.
With the victory, the Leopards open the season 1-0 and will have a Week Two bye before returning to action on Saturday, September 19, when they travel to Salem, Oregon, to take on Willamette University. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
