Center Daniel Alanouf thinks the Cerritos Falcons like the idea of playing with their backs against the wall.

“I think the pressure motivates us because we have no room to mess up,” he admitted.

Following the loss Saturday, Oct. 22 at Bakersfield that dropped Cerritos to 3-4, the entire Falcon team took on a do-or-die approach for the remainder of the season. The team was able to even their record after a 24-21 win over College of the Canyons Saturday, Oct. 29.

Head coach Frank Mazzotta has made sure the team is aware of the severity of winning games this late into the season.

“I don’t think we’ve changed anything as far as what we do. We make a lot of mistakes and we’re just trying to get better and better. Our quarterback was better tonight, we have to throw the ball to win,” he said.

The game came down to a fourth down from the Cerritos 10-yard-line for the Cougars. Linebacker Alex Bush made the game-saving tackle at the 2-yard-line securing the victory for the Falcons.

“[That play] was a big play for us. We know we have to win out to make the playoffs, so every snap on every drive is crucial,” he said.

The game was not always a sure thing for the Falcons. For the past two seasons, penalties have been a big issue for the Falcons; this game was no different.

For the second consecutive week, safety Elijah Walker was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“Honestly, I just wasn’t thinking, I didn’t use my head because I remember it cost us the game last time, so I admit I was a little selfish. I just have to fix that,” Walker said.

Cerritos was penalized 11 times for 114 yards.

One reason for the win was the fast start by the offense, something that hasn’t happened very often this season.

Quarterback Nick Mitchell said, “I feel like the mentality [is different]. We have to win [the rest of our games] for a chance to stay in the playoffs. So I feel like it’s everyday coming to practice, I felt like the intensity picked up this week.”

Mazzotta took notice of the big game for Mitchell, yet he still sees areas of improvement.

“He’s got a terrible throwing motion. Whoever taught him [that], taught him a bad habit. I mean it’s a bad habit and I told him unless he changes it, he’s not going to go anywhere.

“We’ve got him a little better, he’s getting the ball to the target. So, part of that is his throwing motion and we’re fixing that,” Mazzotta said.

Mitchell went 18-for-23 for 180 yards and one touchdown.

It was no secret the success of the offense was in part because of Alanouf, who sat out the Bakersfield game due to injury.

“It felt great, when I was out if felt like the end of the world. [Me sitting] out really opened my eyes and it made me realize we can’t take anything for granted,” he said.

His quarterback was sure happy to see his starting center back in uniform.

“We love to have [Alanouf] out there. He’s one of the toughest linemen I’ve had. He was battling through some stuff the whole game and not just him, all five guys [on the line] and even the guys rotating in and out. So I’m just proud of each and every one of them,” Mitchell said.

Another person who benefitted from the return of Alanouf was starting running back Kishawn Holmes.

“[Alanouf] is a real field general from a center standpoint and him coming back really balanced the offensive line. All of my success is really the offensive line’s success,” he said.

Holmes carried the ball 17 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

Things got a little heated midway through the game, as Holmes felt some of the Cougar players participated in some extra curricular activity that almost resulted in an elbow injury.

“I just couldn’t move and I was like ‘No, this can’t be my season.’ So I went to see the trainer’s and they said [it was nothing to worry about],” he said.

With two more games with huge playoff implications lying ahead Holmes feels as though, the team may experience similar situations like that in the near future.

“We don’t get beat. Teams don’t beat us, no team all year has beaten us; we beat ourselves. Penalties beat us. So we have to get back in the lab and get back to playing disciplined football,” Holmes concluded.