Now in their second year of being teammates, Cerritos College quarterback Jimmy Walker (Redlands HS) and wide receiver De'Jai Whitaker (Santa Monica HS) connected for three touchdowns on Saturday. The trio of touchdowns helped lead the Falcon football team to a 34-31 win over host Orange Coast College at LeBard Stadium. Walker, who completed 25-of-37 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns, has already tossed seven touchdown strikes on the season. As for Whitaker, his 182 receiving yards on the day were the fourth most in a game in school history.

Walker placed his name third on the school's single-game passing list with his 376 yards, which bested the 363 yards he threw for against El Camino College last year. Offensive coordinator Dean Grosfeld still holds the school record with 388 passing yards in a game, which he set in 1991.

But the most important pass that Walker completed on Saturday didn't go to Whitaker. With just :07 seconds remaining in the first half, the Falcons (2-0) called timeout and decided to go for broke on a fourth-and-29 play. That resulted in a 38-yard touchdown strike to sophomore wide receiver Dashawn Gordon (Los Alamitos HS/Northwest Oklahoma State University), which gave Cerritos a 14-13 edge heading into intermission over the Pirates (0-2).

Although Pirates quarterback Mason Dossey finished with 406 yards in the air, he was pressured enough times to keep their offense sputtering when they looked to strike back in the latter parts of the game. The Falcon defense recorded five sacks of Dossey for 29 yards, with six different players getting their hands on the signal caller.

Sophomore defensive tackle David Fangupo (Kealakehe, HI HS) posted 1 1/2 sacks and also broke up a pass, with defensive ends Danny Harry (John Adams, NY HS) and Alonzo Hansen (Cabrillo HS) each picking up a sack. Freshman cornerback D.J. Reed (Independence HS) led the team with eight tackles.

The eventual game-winning touchdown came on a fourth quarter drive that ended when freshman Kishawn Holmes (Vista Murietta HS) reached paydirt from two yards out with 5:49 remaining. Holmes, who led all rushers with 78 yards, also gave the team great field position with his five kick returns for 140 yards.

The Falcons play their home opener next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. against Fullerton College.

Photos by Daryl Peterson