Cerritos College sophomore running back Elijhaa Penny (Norwalk HS/College of the Sequoias) rushed for 262 yards and three touchdowns to lead the team to a 23-10 win over Palomar College on Saturday night. That rushing total by Penny is the second most in school history and trailed only Jermaine Whiten, who ran for 308 yards in 2002 against College of the Canyons. The win by the Falcons (3-2) was their second in a row, as the team will now travel to Allan Hancock College for a 4:00 p.m. game next Saturday.

Some of Penny's best runs came on fourth down plays, as he gave the team a 14-3 lead in the third quarter when he rushed for a 31-yard touchdown on fourth and one. On the play, the 245-pound Penny busted to the outside and straight-armed Comet cornerback Bryan Jones on his way to the end zone. Later, in the fourth quarter, Penny ran through the middle of the line untouched for a 39-yard scamper on fourth and two before he was tackled at the Palomar 2-yard line. He scored his third touchdown of the game on the next play for a 20-10 lead with 13:50 remaining in the game.

Anchored by his offensive line of Jeremiah Frost (Edison HS), Giovanni Chanes (Kealakehe, HI HS), Dixxon Diaz (Norwalk HS), Michael Fonoti (Mayfair HS/Long Beach CC), Zachary Taves (Long Beach Millikan HS,  Robert Chism (Downey HS) and Zachary Alvidrez (Mayfair HS), Penny carried the ball 34 times and scored three touchdowns for the second week in a row. He has now accounted for nine rushing touchdowns and 544 yards on the ground.

As successful as the offense was on the night (459 yards), the Falcon defense did a solid job of containing the Palomar offense. They limited them to 121 yards in the first half and held a 7-3 lead, while in the second half, the defensive line pressured Ryan Lamb, who completed 17-of-34 passes for 135 yards. But he was chased out of the pocket on multiple plays, was sacked twice and rushed the ball out of necessity on six other plays.

Freshman linebacker Nick Downs (St. Paul HS) led the team with 11 tackles, along with 1 1/2 tackles for loss, one sack and a pass breakup. Freshman defensive lineman Anthony Casados (La Habra HS) had his best game of the season with seven tackles, to go along with 1 1/2 tackles for loss and a sack. In the secondary, sophomore Aaron Williams (Dominguez HS/Northern Arizona University) picked off a pass that was deflected by freshman Josias Amisone (Carson HS) in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Zach Hadlock (Huntington Beach HS) also picked off a pass in the win.

Sophomore quarterback Cody Clements (La Habra HS/Washington State University) threw for 166 yards on 16-of-37 passing, with freshman wide receiver Justin Caines (La Habra HS) pulling in a season-high five passes for 46 yards.

Photos by Daryl Peterson