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With 409 rushing yards the Cerritos College football team moved to 3-0 with a 48-28 victory over Long Beach City College Saturday at Falcon Stadium.
The Falcons were led by sophomore running back Daveon Barner, who had 74 yards rushing and a touchdown before the half (118 total) as the Falcon’s set the tone early by establishing its running game with a total of 178 yards rushing in the first half against the previously undefeated Vikings.
Barner said after game, “I couldn’t do it without the offenseive line, it gave us a big push upfront throughout the night.”
“We are fortunate that we have four really good running backs , they can all start and I think our running game shows that,” Cerritos Head football Coach Frank Mazotta said after the game.
Long Beach City College struck first with 2:42 left in the first quarter with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Willie Bobbitt from back-up quarterback Gabriel Thomas who had been filling in for starter Tyler Tuiasosopo who was sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
Cerritos answered right back with a 94 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by sophomore Dion Curry, knotting the game at 7-7.
“Our intensity made the difference today, we played harder and faster, we did the things that we were suppose to do, ” Curry said.
After a defensive stand the Falcons started the second quarter by fumbling a punt return on its own 6 yard line, which the Vikings recovered. The very next play Vikings freshman running back JaKacy Evans took it in for the score and L.B.C.C led 14-7.
A 22 yard scramble by starting quarter back Kane Wilson sparked an 11 play, 90 yard drive for the Falcons that ended when Wilson found sophomore tight end Maxwell Amete for a 4 yard touchdown pass.
On the falcons next possession they found the end zone once again with a 40 yard run by Barner, who was L.B.C.C’s leading rusher last year.
Penalties plagued both teams throughout the first half, negating several large gains including a 39 yard run by Viking’s running back Jared Ginter that would have put L.B.C.C on the Cerritos 11 with 3 minutes left in the half.
Mazotta said in a halftime interview, ” I told the kids before the game the one thing you can’t do is kill yourself with penalties and mistakes , and that is what were doing.”
The Falcons opened up the second half with a fumble on a punt return on its own 25 but quickly settled down when freshmen defensive back Ronald Davis intercepted a pass on his own 2 yard line to end a Viking scoring threat.
The Falcons began to pull away when sophomore running back Ray Craig scampered for a 44 yard touchdown with 8:56 left in the third quarter to give them a 28-14 lead.
With 6:09 left in the third quarter, freshmen quarterback Morgan Fennell came in for Wilson and quickly completed two passes, including a 39 yard pass. However, the drive stalled when Fennell was picked-off by Long Beach’s sophomore defensive back Eric Hayes.
The Falcon running attack continued to pierce the Viking defense in the second half as the team amassed 231 rushing yards. Sophomore running back Jaron Hytche said, “We are all going hard, were all playing 100 percent.”
Fennell found sophomore tight end Lucas Mealy on a 6 yard play action early in the fourth quarter to put the Falcons up 34-14.
L.B.C.C tried to make a run with a 12 yard touchdown pass from Thomas to wide receiver Mike Evans but any hope of a comeback was thwarted when Cerritos’sophmore Tyron Taylor returned the following kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
“The special team plays are backbreaking, they get a little momentum and then we run a kickoff back for a touchdown, we got two of those babies, those were key for us,” Mazotta said.
Cerritos will look to remain undefeated when they travel to West Los Angeles College on Saturday.
Cerritos College President Linda Lacy, who was in attendance said, ” We look really good, we seem to have really good depth.”
