On Saturday night in their National Division Northern League game against visiting Bakersfield College, the Cerritos College football team came out on fire in the first 15 minutes of the game. By the end of the first quarter, the Falcons were sitting on a 21-0 lead that would result in a 28-0 victory over the Renegades. The shutout was the second of the year for Cerritos (7-1, 4-0), who have won five games in a row and are tied for first place with College of the Canyons. It was also the first time since 2002 that Cerritos posted two shutouts in the same season.
Next Saturday, the team will travel to Moorpark College for a 1:00 p.m. and then have a bye week before they take on the Cougars, in what is expected to be a showdown for the division title.
In that all-importnat first quarter, the Falcons took a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard run by freshman running back Kishawn Holmes (Vista Murrieta HS). Freshman D.J. Reed (Independence HS) set up the scoring drive with a 38-yard punt return that put the team at the Renegade (1-7, 1-3) 44-yard line. Sophomore running back Robert Gordon (Terrebonne, LA HS) carried the ball four times for 19 yards and a 15-yard Bakersfield penalty set up the first of three touchdowns for Holmes.
On the next Bakersfield drive, quarterback Dalton Gallis was sacked by sophomore Danny Harry (John Adams, NY HS), who also stripped the ball clean. Sophomore Alonzo Hansen (Cabrillo HS) scooped up the ball and returned it for a 14-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead. The Falcon defense once again shut down Bakersfield on their next possession, including another sack, courtesy of sophomore David Fangupo (Kealakehe, HI HS) and freshman Alexander Bush (La Habra HS) on third down.
A 12-yard punt return by sophomore Anthony Murray (Cherokee Trail, CO HS) put the ball at the Falcon 34-yard line. On third-and-four, sophomore quarterback Jimmy Walker (Redlands HS) connected with sophomore Steven White (Manchester, VA HS) for a 37-yard pass completion. A nice 16-yard reception by sophomore Stephon Smalls (Fitzgerald, GA HS) set up a 10-yard scoring strike to Holmes in the flat for the third touchdown in the quarter.
Although the offense seemed to struggle after that, the defense was up the the task of removing any thoughts of the Renegades from finding the end zone. They limited Bakersfield to just 66 yards in the first half and finished with just 170 yards on the night. Walker did get picked off in the Bako end zone late in the second quarter, but the Cerritos defense returned the favor later in the quarter.
Driving into Falcon territory, sophomore defensive tackle Raymon Price (Long Beach Poly HS) stripped the ball from Gallis at the Cerritos 12-yard line, with Murray falling on the fumble. Not much went right for Bakersfield, even when they did something right. The Renegades Jordan Nichols blocked a 26-yard Adrian Saldana (Walnut HS) field goal attempt late in the first half and Anthony Roberts returned it for what looked to be a touchdown. But the teams were called for offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, which negated the entire play. Saldana lined up again for a field goal attempt, and missed wide right.
Cerritos closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter, with Holmes accounting for all of the yards, aside from a Bakersfield penalty. He capped it off with a one-yard run and ended the day with 71 rushing yards and two scores, along with three receptions for 26 yards and another touchdown.
Sophomore wide receiver De'Jai Whitaker (Santa Monica HS) came into the game needing just 40 yards to set a new single-season receiving record. He eclipsed the old mark of 939 yards by Domonique Young last season with a 10-yard reception on the first play of the second quarter. Whitaker, who leads the state in receptions (48) and yards (956), is looking to become the first 1,000-yard receiver in school history.
In talking with the Press Telegram, Whitaker stated, "It means a lot," but noted with two games remaining, the team's overall quest is still in mind. "The whole team is looking to make it to state. We need to work hard in practice and win these last two games."
Walker finished the night 13-for-26 for 190 yards and one touchdown, and nearly etched his name in the record book, as well. With his TD pass and 190 yards on the night, he is now three TDs and 21 yards shy of breaking his own records of 25 and 2,323, respectively. In addition to the 71 yards by Holmes, Gordon added 70 yards on the ground on nine carries. The defense recorded five quarterback sacks and nine tackles for loss in the win, with Fangupo (11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks) leading the way. Sophomore Keith Walker (Mayfair HS) posted 10 tackles, while Harry finished with eight stops.
Photos by Daryl Peterson
