Led by a pair of unanimous selections, the Cerritos College football team had eight of their players earn All-National Division Northern League honors. The Falcons, who went 3-7 on the season, had sophomore defensive tackle PJ Naufahu (El Camino HS) and sophomore offensive tackle David Zavala (Lakewood HS/University of Nevada) received unanimous selection honors, while two others also received 1st Team accolades.
Joining Naufahu and Zavala on the 1st Team were sophomore wide receiver Justin Garrett (Gahr HS/West Los Angeles College) and freshman safety Devan Burrell (Centennial, NV HS). Naufahu was second among defensive linemen with 45 tackles on the season, with 16 of them solo stops. He also led the team with 5.5 quarterback sacks, and was second with 10.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles, while he also recovered two fumbles and blocked a kick. He posted a season-high eight tackles, with two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles against Fullerton College and had seven stops against Golden West College.
Zavala helped the offense average 179 passing and 152 rushing yards a game, while the Falcons posted 23 points a game. He joined the football team after earning All-American honors on the Falcon wrestling team last season. One of the recipients of Zavala's blocking was Garrett, who led the team with 38 catches for 592 yards and five touchdowns. In the season finale, Garrett had six receptions for a career-high 153 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard score. He also pulled in a career-high eight passes against Golden West for 134 yards and a 75-yard score.
One of the most consistent players on defense, Burrell concluded the season with 52 tackles, which was third on the team, with 20 of them solo stops. He led the team with four interceptions for 129 return yards and one touchdown, while also breaking up three passes and he blocked a kick. He recorded a season-high 11 tackles against Moorpark College and had eight tackles and two picks against Riverside City College. He returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown against Santa Monica.
Earning 2nd Team recognition were freshman center Fidel Mendes (Long Beach Jordan HS), sophomore tight end Kevin Ventura-Cortes (Savanna HS/Santa Ana College), freshman defensive end Derek Thomas (Huntington Beach HS) and freshman cornerback Josh Caldwell (La Mirada HS). Mendes joined Zavala is opening up holes for a pair of running backs that each accounted for 500 yards on the ground and saw a pair of quarterback combine for 16 touchdown passes. Ventura-Cortes finished third on the team with 20 receptions for 180 yards and three touchdowns. He pulled in a season-high five passes against Santa Monica and added four catches against Bakersfield College.
Thomas led all defensive linemen with 48 tackles (21 solo) to go along with six sacks and a season-high 13 tackles for loss, as well as a fumble recovery. He finished with a season-high eight tackles and two tackles for loss against Bakersfield, while recording seven tackles, three sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss against Santa Monica. Caldwell finished the season with 40 tackles (21 solo), as well as 4.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two blocked kicks and an interception. He had a season-high six tackles against Fullerton and Ventura and an tackle for loss in each game, while finishing with five stops in three other games.
February 7, 2018
Football: Falcons announce 10 signings
December 5, 2017
Football: Falcons have eight players named all-conference
November 11, 2017
Football: Quick-strike offense not enough to beat Ventura
November 4, 2017
Football: Late Moorpark touchdown results in loss
October 28, 2017
Football: Team suffers worst loss in 16 years
October 21, 2017
Football: Missed scoring chances result in loss
October 14, 2017
Football: Defense shuts down Santa Monica in 31-7 win
September 30, 2017
Football: Big plays by Riverside leads to loss
September 23, 2017
Football: Falcons do enough on both sides to post win
September 16, 2017
Football: Cerritos posts 37-6 win over Palomar
September 9, 2017
Football: Loss to Fullerton drops record to 0-2
September 2, 2017
Football: Fourth quarter collapse results in 25-14 loss