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CALIFORNIA (Sept. 18) – Junior wide receiver Chedrick Cherry (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) and sophomore running back Lamont Smith (Penn Hills, Pa./Central Catholic/Phoenix) each scored two touchdowns on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 4 Vulcans posted a 45-20 victory over East Stroudsburg at Adamson Stadium.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 3-0 this season. Meanwhile, East Stroudsburg suffers its second-straight loss to fall to 1-2 this year.

Smith, who was last week's PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week, finished with a season-high 163 yards and two touchdowns (1, 2). He finished the game with a season-high 31 attempts and had only one negative run in the contest. With his performance, Smith became the first Cal U player to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games since Daine Williams (2007).

Cherry totaled a career-high 139 yards and two scores on only four receptions (15, 28), a remarkable 34.8 yards per reception.

After entering halftime with a slim 21-20 lead, the Vulcans scored 24-straight points and allowed only four first downs to the Warriors in the second half. Cal U expanded its lead to 28-20 with 11:31 left in the third when Cherry scored on a 28-yard pass from senior quarterback Josh Portis (Woodland Hills, Calif./William H. Taft/Maryland), who finished with a season-high 263 yards on 14-of-26 attempts and three touchdowns. Portis also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice.

On the next East Stroudsburg possession, junior linebacker Brett Diamond (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) forced a fumble on a sack and defensive tackle Sam Fikaris (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) recovered the ball near midfield. The Vulcans converted the turnover into points when junior Marc Domonkos (Johnstown, Pa. /Bishop McCort/Lock Haven) made a 19-yard field goal with 8:48 left in the third quarter, 31-20.

Early in the fourth quarter, Portis connected with junior wide receiver Derrick Jones (Lynwood, Calif./Long Beach Poly/Oregon) for a 39-yard touchdown with 14:02 left remaining in the game. After the defense forced a three-and-out, the Vulcans marched 67 yards on 15 plays (14 rushes) before Smith capped the nine-minute drive with a two-yard scoring plunge, 45-20.

Cal U opened the game with a quick 14-0 lead following a 15-yard score by Cherry and 32-yard interception return for a touchdown by Diamond. East Stroudsburg scored 17-straight points to take its only lead of the game before Smith scored his first touchdown of the day.

Sophomore defensive back Rontez Miles (Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills) and redshirt junior Patrick Swearinger (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) each collected a team-high six tackles (five solo). Junior transfer linebacker Kevin Garrett (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne/Oregon) added four stops (three solo) with 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack. Junior defensive lineman Thomas Mulabah (Sterling, Va./Parkview) and redshirt freshman BJ Stevens (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) each collected 2.0 sacks.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Sept. 25, when they travel to Clarion to PSAC West play. Cal U has won 20-consecutive divisional games en route to claiming five-straight league titles. Last year, the Vulcans posted a 35-31 fourth-quarter comeback win over the Golden Eagles.

Notes:
Former running back Windell Brown walked as an honorary captain to the coin toss after suffering severe injuries in a car accident this summer … Junior transfer Jordan Scott (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon/Idaho State) finished with a season-high 71 yards on 13 carries … The Vulcans registered five sacks and forced three turnovers (two interceptions) … Cal U held over a 16-minute (38:03-21:57) advantage in time of possession after holding the ball for nearly 11 minutes in the fourth quarter … The Vulcans have scored over 40 points in each game this season