San Diego Mesa College suffered another heartbreaking loss Saturday, falling 24-21 to Citrus College despite controlling much of the game.

Both teams entered the game looking to rebound from losses, Mesa falling 21-18 to Mt. San Antonio College, while Citrus came off a 45-28 defeat to Saddleback.

As they have in each of their first three games, the Olympians struck first. Sophomore quarterback Reggie Johnson connected with Troy Bassler for a 7-yard touchdown, giving Mesa the early lead. Citrus responded with an 86-yard drive, capped by Keyon Chatmann's 8-yard scoring run to even the game at 7-7.

Late in the second quarter, Mesa put together a 65-yard, 9-play drive finished by Derek McClintic's 7-yard rushing touchdown, sending the Olympians into halftime with a 14-7 advantage.

Despite controlling much of the game statistically, Mesa couldn't hold on. The Owls outscored the Olympians 17-7 in the second half, and a missed game-tying field goal attempt sealed Mesa's 24-21 loss.

The box score tells a different story. Mesa outgained Citrus 411-312, including a dominant 280 rushing yards to the Owls' 60, and finished with 26 first downs to Citrus' 22. But 14 penalties for 168 yards and missed opportunities on special teams, costing Mesa 12 points, eventually led to the result of the game. 

Individually, McClintic led the ground attack with 116 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while Devin Cerda added 73 yards on 14 attempts. Bassler caught 6 passes for 60 yards and 2 scores. On defense, Cooper Mau recorded 2 tackles and a clutch late interception.

The Olympians (1-2) will look to bounce back when they travel to face rival Palomar College on Saturday, Sept. 20, with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m.