Cerritos College sophomore running back Elijhaa Penny (Norwalk HS/College of the Sequoias) rushed for three touchdowns to help lead the team to a 30-5 Northern Conference win over Pasadena City College on Saturday night. The Falcons (2-2, 1-0) rushed for 177 yards on the night, with Penny accounting for 106 of them on 13 carries. He scored on touchdown runs of 6, 1 and 2 yards to pace Cerritos. The team will now host Palomar College in a non-conference game at 7:00 p.m. next Saturday.

Penny broke off a 33-yard run on the second play from scrimmage, which eventually led to a 15-yard scoring strike from sophomore quarterback Cody Clements (La Habra HS/Washington State University) to freshman wide receiver X'avier Shepherd (Lakewood HS) from 15 yards out. Early in the second half, the Falcons took a 13-0 lead when Penny busted up the middle from six yards out for his first of three scores. On the drive, freshman Tonny Lindsey (Long Beach Wilson HS) ripped a 20-yard run, while a pair of completed passes preceded the touchdown run.

The Falcon defense held the Lancers to just 218 total yards, with the majority of them coming in the latter stages of the game. Sophomore defensive tackle David Moala (Serra HS) dominated at times, as he finished the game with seven tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, along with a quarterback sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. He clogged up the middle, which allowed the defense to get pressure on the edges and contain the Pasadena City running game.

The defense recorded 13 tackles for loss and five sacks on the night, with 13 different players getting involved in plays behind the line of scrimmage. Freshman linebacker Erick Zarate (Long Beach Jordan HS) scooped up a fumble and returned it 31 yards, which led to a fourth quarter field goal and it was the fourth takeaway for the Falcons.

Clements (10-of-17, 129 yards) and freshman Rene Medina (St. John Bosco HS) found 10 different wide receivers on the night, with Shepherd and Penny leading the team with a pair of receptions. Sophomore Ricky Carrigan, Jr. (Cabrillo HS) pulled in a 34-yard pass which helped set up a touchdown, with sophomore Josh Caiquo (Los Alamitos HS) hauling in a 37-yard pass.

As much as the defensive line set the tone, so did the Cerritos offensive line. The grouping of Dixxon Diaz (Norwalk HS), Robert Chism (Downey HS), Michael Fonoti (Mayfair HS/Long Beach CC) and Zachary Alvidrez (Mayfair HS) did the majority of the damage, but a slew of other linemen saw action and made an impact in helping the team control the ground game.

The game was also a bit of a homecoming for Lancer head coach Fred Fimbres and assistant coach Joe Biagioni, who played for Falcon head coach Frank Mazzotta from 1990-91. Fimblres and Biagioni were also members of the coaching staff for Cerritos. The college also honored members of the 1983 PONY Bowl championship team at halftime, as 20 players and four coaches (including head coach Mazzotta) were there to be announced.

Photos by Daryl Peterson