Running back Junior Tivao ran the ball straight up the middle and was stopped one-yard short of winning the conference, in the final play of the regular season, as the Cerritos College football team lost to El Camino, 35-32, last Saturday night.

“I thought he was in, but I think the Warriors pushed back before the refs could see that,” linebacker Chester Randolph said. “That really chewed my heart up, losing like that.”

Despite the loss, the Falcons received a bid to the Golden Empire Bowl that will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Bakersfield College.

This is the first bowl game that the Falcons have played in since 2003.

This is huge for our program is puts us back where we are supposed to be, where we are used to being,” offensive coordinator Dean Grosfeld said.

Their opponent is Palomar College.

“We are two really evenly matched teams,” Grosfeld said. “(Cerritos is) ranked No. 6 in Southern California and (it is) ranked No. 7.”

The Comets is 6-3 overall and finished 3-3 in the National Conference Southern Division.

They feature a balanced running attack that features a group of four backs that average more than 35 yards on the ground per game.

“We have to stop the run and establish the run,” Grosfeld said. “Their strength is their offensive and defensive lines so that will be the focus.”

Quarterback Matt Christian has passed for 13 touchdowns while throwing only three interceptions.

Defensively, they have held opponent to an average of 22 points a game and they have held oppents to an average of 85 yards rushing.

“If we play like we should, we should take this game,” tight end Eric Roberson said.  “Offensively, the offensive line will have hold its blocks longer.”

The Falcons’ players are excited to be playing in a bowl game this season.

“We shouldn’t have lost to El Camino but I’m excited to get that we have the opportunity to redeem ourselves with the bowl game,” Randolph said.

With the regular season over, the Falcons have learned a lot of lessons that they think will help them next season.

“We learned to finish opponents this season,” Roberson said.  “At the beginning, we did not do that.”

Other players feel that how they grew as a team was biggest lesson they learned this season.

“After the second loss, we really came together to get this done,” Randolf said, “at the beginning of the season we played like a bunch of individuals.”