Trailing the entire game, and about three minutes left, it seemed the Cerritos College football team had a disappointing loss in its grasp.
It took just one risky pass and one smothered catch to finally gain a lead. And the game along with it.
Quarterback Jimmy Walker shot it toward Justin Caines late in the fourth, leading to a game-winning catch that would have Cerritos College oust Santa Barbara City College 22-19, becoming bowl champions on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Falcon Stadium.
Cerritos did not lead until the final minutes of the fourth. Walker threw the ball and wide receiver Caines miraculously caught it, being smothered with in-your-face defense.
The crowd went crazy.
Walker’s mindset during that whole possession, “Don’t screw it up.”
The already crazy crowd went even further with its euphoric mood when Cerritos intercepted a Santa Barbara pass attempt about a minute later.
Caines went on to win player of the game with the two touchdowns that he scored during the game.
“I really have to give all this credit to my offensive line. (It) did a great job protecting us all night. I just caught the passes that Jimmy threw – he did a great job tonight – and I’m just blessed to have a great team. This award isn’t just mine, it’s for everybody.”
Walker was a red-shirt all of last season. Coming back for this season, the offense seemed to center around him, having him direct the offensive unit as a quarterback.
Now, he’s throwing game-winning passes.
“We came through when we needed it … I got an opportunity in the clutch, my wide receiver made a great catch … I’m just happy it all worked out.”
The Falcons beat the Vaqueros to earn the bowl championship, a team that they had not faced in 30 years.
Santa Barbara brought a challenge early, however, taking a 13-0 lead two quarters into the game, with Cerritos looking slow to respond in the game.
Layered on top of that was the physical defense Santa Barbara brought forth. The Falcons came back with an aggressive run in the second half to bring it to 19-14, ultimately winning the bowl championship.
Notes:
- Cerritos and Santa Barbara had two and one turnovers, respectively.
- Cerritos had 82 more passing yards than Santa Barbara.
- Cerritos had 36 more running yards than Santa Barbara.
- Santa Barbara had possession of the ball longer.
