Trailing 38-21 with 5:52 left in the third quarter, the Cerritos College football team staged a thrilling comeback and recorded a 40-38 win over visiting El Camino College on Saturday night. The Falcons (5-1), who struggled on defense up until that point, scored the final 19 points of the game, while the defense stiffended against the Warriors (2-4). Next week, the team will travel to Allan Hancock College for a 2:00 p.m. game.

With the win, Cerritos retains possession of the Milk Can Trophy, which the two squads have been playing for since 1962. It was the second win in as many years by the Falcons, who still trail in the overall series, 24-13-2. The game also marked the final time longtime rival coaches - and very good friends - Frank Mazzotta (Cerritos) and John Featherstone (El Camino) will face each other, as the Warriors head coach will be retiring at the end of the season.

After the Falcons took the lead for the first time with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter, El Camino came out needing just a field goal to win, as Cerritos missed their final two extra points, which would have given them a four-point lead and forced an ECC touchdown to beat them. On the second one, ECC's De'Juan Tyson scooped up the loose ball after a bad snap and was on his way to tying the game with a two-point return conversion. But freshman kicker Adrian Saldana (Walnut HS) was able to cut off the angle and recorded the shoestring tackle near the Cerritos 20-yard line.

Faced with a fourth-and-16 after a Raymon Price (Long Beach Poly HS) sack, Warriors quarterback Brent Boehm connected with Dajuan Parker for 16 yards and a first down. A 19-yard completion to Justice Anyanwu moved the ball to the Cerritos 29-yard line. A one-yard rush was followed by a shared sack from sophomores Keith Walker (Mayfair HS) and Danny Harry (John Adams, NY HS), which made it second-and-28. Freshman Tofa Tupou (Buena Park HS) sliced through the ECC offensive line and sacked Boehm for a 10-yard loss. With only hopes of a 38-yard pass to extend their hopes, Boehm was sacked by sophomore Alonzo Hansen (Cabrillo HS) to lock down the win.

In the fourth quarter alone, the Cerritos defense limited El Camino to minus-18 yards on the ground, while the Falcons had the ball for 12:00 minutes and amassed 96 yards.

The Falcons scored on their final three possessions of the game, while the defense was finally able to slow down the quick-strike El Camino offense that was having their way in the secondary. First, sophomore running back Robert Gordon (Terrebonne, LA HS) scampered his way into the end zone from 23 yards out to get the team to within 38-28 with 2:54 left in the third quarter. A three-and-out by the Warriors gave the ball back to the Falcons, who got a rare 10-yard run from sophomore quarterback Jimmy Walker (Redlands HS) on a fourth down play after a timeout.

The drive continued with a pair of runs by freshman running back Kishawn Holmes (Vista Murrieta HS) and a 13-yard completion to sophomore Steven White (Manchester, VA HS), which put the ball at the El Camino 15-yard line. The Warriors were called for holding in the end zone on a pass attempt to sophomore De'Jai Whitaker (Santa Monica HS), with Gordon busting in from two yards out on the next play.

Once again, the Cerritos defense forced a three-and-out with the third down play being a shared sack by Price and Harry. Taking over at their own 38-yard line, Holmes rushed twice for 24 yards, while Walker and White connected for 23 yards on a second down play, putting the ball at the Warriors 17-yard line. A pair of rushes that didn't net any yards was followed by a timeout. Coming out of that break, Walker found Whitaker from 17 yards out and the Falcons were in the lead.

Just like the week before, fumbles were an issue, as the Falcons seemed to give the ball back right after taking it away. On the next ECC possession, sophomore cornerback Anthony Murray (Cherokee Trail, CO HS) picked off Boehm with 5:43 left in the third quarter. However, on the second play after the interception, Holmes was stripped of the ball and El Camino regained possession at their own 32-yard line with 4:55 left.

That set up the final possession where the Cerritos defense was able to break through the El Camino offensive line and finish off the game. On the night, the Falcons posted seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss, with Price leading the way with 3 1/2 sacks. Keith Walker (nine tackles) led the team with nine tackles, while sophomore Elijah Walker (Cabrillo HS) finished with seven stops and sophomore safety Deon Smalls (Fitzgerald, GA HS) added six tackles.

Offensively, Holmes rushed for a season-high 151 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, while Gordon (30 yards) also reached the end zone twice. A team that had not been able to move the ball on the ground much up until this week, received excellent blocking up front from linemen David Sykes (Lynwood HS), Jeremiah Frost (Edison HS), Junior Millan (St. Paul HS), Eric Golston (St. John Bosco HS) and Anthony Cerrillo (La Mirada HS). Walker completed 14-of-24 passes for 213 yards and two scores with Whitaker and White combining for 12 receptions for 172 yards.

Photos by Kelli Francis