Driving for what would have been the go-ahead score, the Cerritos College football team fumbled the ball away and watched Moorpark College score the winning touchdown with :01 second left. The loss drops the Falcons record to 4-5 overall and 2-2 in the National Division with one game next Saturday when they host Ventura College at 6:00 p.m.
On that Falcon drive, sophomore quarterback Nick Mitchell (Mount Si, WA HS/Oregon State University) fumbled the snap at the Raider 16-yard line with 1:43 on the clock. Moorpark was aided on their final drive by consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct calls against the Falcons, the second putting the ball at the Cerritos 30-yard line.
After a 12-yard completion was followed by a holding call against the Raiders, running back Isaiah Johnson bounced to the outside and got inside the Falcon 5-yard line. Sophomore linebacker Alex Bush was able to knock the ball away, but it stayed in fair territory and Moorpark's Ryan Willmore picked it up and scored from two yards out with just :01 second left on the clock.
The loss overshadowed the performance of sophomore running back Kishawn Holmes (Vista Murrieta HS), who rushed 30 times for 185 yards and three first half touchdowns. He accounted for most of his yardage in the first half, with the Falcons held in check offensively in the second half.
Leading most of the game, Cerritos fell behind 28-21, but were able to tie the game when Mitchell completed a 26-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Landon Jones (La Mirada HS) with 14:14 left in the fourth quarter. On the day, Mitchell competed 15-of-24 passes for 177 yards.
Sophomore linebacker Alex Bush (La Habra HS) led the defense with 14 tackles, while linebacker Tyson Reed (Bakersfield HS) contributed eight tackles and 2 1/2 tackles for loss. A trio of players all finished with seven stops apiece.