After spotting visiting Santa Monica College to a 13-0 lead in their annual Homecoming Game, the Cerritos College football team scored 35 unanswered points for a 35-13 win. The Northern League win by the Falcons (3-3) gives them a quick start to defending their title. The team will travel to Bakersfield College (4-2, 0-1), for a 6:00 p.m. game next Saturday. The Renegades dropped a 30-27 decision to Moorpark College on Saturday.

On the Corsairs (1-5, 0-1) second touchdown, sophomore Brandon Ezell (Los Alamitos HS) blocked the extra point, which seemed to spark the rest of the team. Cerritos responded by needing only three plays on their ensuing drive to get on the scoreboard. Freshman Jonathan McKee (Monrovia HS) put the team in great field position with his 44-yard kickoff return. After a pair of runs by sophomore Kishawn Holmes (Vista Murrieta HS), sophomore quarterback Nick Mitchell (Mount Si, WA HS/Oregon State University) connected with sophomore wide receiver Matt Rosales (La Serna HS) on a 21-yard slant pattern in the end zone.

The momentum continued to swing in the favor of the Falcons, as Ezell stepped in front of a Weston Massett pass, picked it off and went untouched into the end zone from 16 yards out. Sophomore Adrian Saldana (Walnut HS) booted the extra point and Cerritos led, 14-13 with 10:00 left in the first half.

The secondary intercepted their second pass in as many series, with sophomore Tyler Rios (Lakewood HS) doing the honors at midfield. He returned the ball 12 yards and the Falcons were in Santa Monica territory. A couple of holding penalties hurt Cerritos and they were looking at 1st-and-30 on their side of the field. They did get to the Corsairs 12-yard line, but Saldana missed a 29-yard field goal. However, on the play, Santa Monica was called for running into the kicker and the Falcons had a first down. Two plays later, Holmes had his first of three touchdowns on the night.

Late in the third quarter, freshman defensive lineman PJ Naufahu (El Camino HS) stripped the ball away from Kahlil Miller at the Corsairs 27-yard line, with sophomore Daniel Moore (Long Beach Wilson HS) falling on the ball at the Santa Monica 20-yard line. Holmes busted up the middle untouched on the first place from scrimmage for a touchdown and a 28-13 Falcon lead.

Holmes set up the team's final touchdown of the night with a catch and run that went 61 yards and put the ball at the Santa Monica 27-yard line. He then ran the ball three times, with the third from two yards out and his third score of the night. Holmes finished the night with 93 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards.

The highlight of the night just might have been by Ezell later in the fourth quarter. With Santa Monica threatening to score, Ezell did his best Odell Beckham, Jr., as he leapt high in the back of the end zone and pulled down a one-handed interception in front of the Corsairs receiver. It was his second interception of the night.

Mitchell finished the night 16-for-29 for 199 yards and one touchdown, while Rosales led the way with six receptions for 84 yards. Sophomore defensive end Siupeli Finau (Dominguez HS) had five tackles and 1 1/2 quarterback sacks, with sophomore linebacker Alex Bush (La Habra HS) leading the team with seven stops.

Photos by Daryl Peterson