Comets Fall Just Short Against No. 24 Pasadena City

PASADENA, CA (9/13/2025) -- Palomar pushed No. 24 Pasadena City College to the wire on Saturday night, falling 24-23 on the road despite a furious last-minute drive that came within inches of a signature win.

The Comets came out firing as quarterback KJ Chatham found Furious Hoskins on a 60-yard strike just over a minute into the game. After a Pasadena response, Carson Beard drilled a 53-yard field goal to regain the lead, only for the Lancers to counter with another touchdown. Palomar closed the first half on top when Vincent Landry IV hauled in a seven-yard score from Chatham, giving the Comets a 17-14 advantage at the break.

Pasadena turned the tide in the third quarter with a one-yard rushing touchdown and added a field goal early in the fourth to stretch the margin to 24-17. From there, Palomar mounted one last push. With just over a minute to go, Chatham engineered a 14-play, 91-yard drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass to Hoskins — his second of the night and third straight game with a score. Down by one, the Comets went for the win but came up short on the two-point conversion attempt. An on-side kick in the closing seconds was recovered by Pasadena, sealing the narrow defeat.

The Comets finished with 325 yards of offense, led by Chatham's 267 passing yards and three touchdowns. Hoskins delivered another standout performance with seven catches for 139 yards and two scores. Landry added 37 yards and a touchdown, while eight different receivers contributed.

Defensively, Palomar showed resilience against a high-powered Pasadena attack that totaled 553 yards and 28 first downs. James Coddington recorded nine tackles, while Isaiah Strong and Evan Surray each added eight. Bubba Garciacontributed seven stops, and the Comets forced three turnovers, including fumble recoveries by Garcia and Jason Mageo.

The defense also found ways to disrupt the Lancers in the backfield. Palomar racked up seven tackles for loss totaling 26 yards, led by Evan Surray with 2.5 (11 yards), Skylar Briggs with two (nine yards), Tanner Doyle with one (two yards), and Pe'a Misaalefua with one (two yards). Surray also recorded the team's lone sack of the night, dropping the quarterback for a four-yard loss. Briggs was a constant presence with three quarterback hurries, forcing hurried throws throughout the game.

Despite the setback, the Comets (1-2) proved they could go toe-to-toe with a ranked opponent on the road. They now return home for their first conference matchup of the season against San Diego Mesa College (1-2), scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. at home. The contest will also serve as Alumni Night, where Palomar will honor its championship tradition and celebrate generations of Comets.