Through the blaring sounds of the bus engines as the Cerritos College football team loaded for its departure home; head coach Frank Mazzotta could be seen sitting behind the bus in solitary.
“I just can’t put my finger on why we made some poor decisions,” Mazzotta said with despair. “It’s just the mental part wasn’t there.”
The comments came after his team fumbled the game away to give Moorpark, its third of the season, according to Mazzotta.
The Falcons built a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter, only to have the Moorpark Raiders fight back to tie the game.
The quick lead seemed unlikely as the game was delayed almost an hour after the Falcons’ team bus would not open to gather its equipment. Subsequently, the team loss its chance to warm-up.
“People don’t think those things bother you, they bother the [players],” Mazzotta said.
He added, “That might have a little bit to do with it, but we had [enough] chances. Offensively, we stunk.”
The leader of the offense, quarterback Jimmy Walker felt the delay played a bigger part in the game than most would expect.
“Routine is always key to me as well as the team, it definitely threw us through a loop,” Walker said.
Walker went 10 for 29 throwing for 194 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The Raiders would eventually secure the lead with 18 seconds left in the game.
Walker found wide receiver Dashawn Gordon on back-to-back pass plays to get into the red zone.
Following a defensive pass interference call in the end zone a two-yard rush came from none other than defensive tackle David Fangupo.
“We needed a play. We needed to go make one, the offensive line did its job and it just left me to do my job,” the former high school running back said.
That score would send the game to overtime as Moorpark would score first and on the ensuing drive Cerritos’ Walker found tight end Elijah Rogers in the end zone to send the game into a second overtime.
Rogers would go from hero to scapegoat in a matter of minutes. As on the first drive of the second overtime Rogers fumbled the ball away inside the 10 yard-line, setting up Moorpark for the game-winning score.
“I messed up. My first reaction was to get back on it, but it didn’t take a spin my way,” Rogers said.
He said that one thing he could take away from this game is the philosophy of “holding onto the ball.”
Despite Rogers’ fumble coming in the second overtime, Mazzotta felt like the game could’ve been won earlier in the game.
“It’s no different than De’Jai [Whitaker’s fumble]. If you’re going to score put the ball away why do you have to do the extra little [juke],” Mazzotta acknowledged. “The extra bull[expletive] is bull[expletive].”
Whitaker said, “You just have to let it go and think of the positives and get ready for the next play.”
The bye week for the team couldn’t have come at a much better time as quarterback Walker said this is the time to get healthy and rest up.
As the last game of the season has become a must-win for Cerritos as it takes on College of the Canyons.
