Looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since 1968, the Cerritos College football team racked up 439 yards in a 21-17 win over visiting Palomar College on Saturday night. The Falcons (1-2) opened up a 21-7 lead at halftime and had possession of the ball 15:00 more minutes than the Comets (1-2). The win was also the 250th for head coach Frank Mazzotta, who's in his 38th season at the helm. The team will now travel to LeBard Stadium on the Orange Coast College campus to take on Golden West College at 6:00 p.m. next Saturday.

Mixing a balance of run and pass, sophomore quarterback Nick Mitchell (Mount Si (WA) HS/Oregon State University) accounted for 81 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, along with 158 passing yards and another score. But when the game was on the line in the final minutes, he handed the ball off to sophomore Kishawn Holmes (Murrieta Valley HS), who kept the chains moving after Palomar got to within 21-17.

Holmes finished with a career-high 176 yards on 27 carries, with the offensive line clearing holes for Holmes, Mitchell and sophomore LaMarr Crowder (Cerritos HS) to finish with a combined 286 yards on the ground. Sophomores Arturo Gomez (Downey HS), Daniel Alanouf (Los Alamitos HS), Anthony Cerrillo (La Mirada HS), Chris Faaumu (Emerald Ridge, WA HS) and Eric Golston (St. John Bosco HS), along with freshman Adam Tourville (La Habra HS) were keys to the team's win.

On the first drive of the game, Holmes and Mitchell combined for 52 yards on the ground before Mitchell connected with sophomore Matt Rosales (La Serna HS) on a 33-yard scoring strike. The Falcons looked to take a 10-0 lead when sophomore Adrian Saldana (Walnut HS) lined up for a 35-yard field goal, But his attempt was blocked by Austin Alualu and Dominique Love picked up the ball and raced 55 yards for a tying touchdown.

A Mitchell punt in the second quarter pinned Palomar at their own 4-yard line, and then the defense forced a three-and-out, which gave the Falcons great field position. On the first play, Mitchell hit a streaking Jacob Gasser (Los Alamitos HS) down the sideline for a 35-yard gain, which set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Mitchell. He capped off the team's scoring on the next drive, a 12-play, 94-yard drive that took just 4:09. Cerritos converted both third down situations, with the big strike being a 45-yard completion to freshman wide receiver Stacy Chukwumezie (Downey HS). Two plays later, Mitchell scampered five yards for a touchdown.

The Falcon defense held Palomar to just 55 yards in the first half and 173 yards on the night. Prior to a Patrick Koch 45-yard field goal with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter, Cerritos had kept the Comets in check on offense. Sophomore linebacker Alex Bush (La Habra HS) led the team once again with 10 stops, while sophomore linebackers Daniel Moore (Long Beach Wilson HS) and Kijon Washington (Cerritos HS) combined for 11 tackles. Freshman defensive lineman Siupeli Finau (Dominguez HS) put pressure on Matt Romero all night and finished with three quarterback hurries.

Photos by Daryl Peterson