After the first half, it looked as though the Cerritos College football team would run away with their game against Citrus College on Saturday. The Falcons used several big punches to open up a 24-7 halftime lead. However, the Owls came back in the second half with several scoring strikes of their own. The end result was a 33-24 Cerritos win. Their scheduled game next Saturday against San Bernardino Valley College was canceled because the Wolverines did not have enough players to field a team and ended the remainder of their season.

The game started with freshman Rocco Caldarella (Valley Christian HS) returning the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown since Jacobi Hardy brought back a kickoff 97 yards against El Camino College on November 16, 2019.

Early in the second quarter, the Falcons extended their lead to 14-0 when quarterback Dylan Eldredge (Cypress HS) connected with running back Michael Hayes on a wheel route from 19 yards out. The big play on that drive was a 44-yard connection with Isaiah Blair (Downey HS) on the first play. It was a 21-0 lead after a nine-play drive that resulted in a two-yard TD pass to running back Danny F. Washington (Buena Park HS). The drive was extended when running back Isaac Aninyei (Bellflower HS) rushed for five yards on a fourth-and-two play.

After the Owls got on the board, sophomore kicker Christian Guerra (Paramount HS) converted a 32-yard field goal as time expired in the half for a 24-7 Cerritos lead.

Citrus came out in the second half with a couple of touchdowns to get to within 24-21 before the Falcons had several answers of their own. On their next drive, Cerritos pushed the ball downfield in eight plays and capped it off on the third TD scoring strike from Eldredge, as he and Blair connected from 17 yards out.

With time running out in the fourth quarter, it appeared as though Aninyei scored on a great running play with 3:32 remaining, but a penalty brought the play back. They ended up punting the ball away, but secured the victory when defensive tackle Leroy Palu (Mayfair HS) sacked Owls quarterback Jake Denerson for a safety with 2:11 on the clock.

Eldredge ended the night throwing for 207 yards and three touchdowns, with Blair pulling in three passes for 98 yards. On the ground, Cheo Medina (Northview HS) carried the ball 12 times for 93 yards, while Aninyei added 36 yards on eight carries.

On the other side of the ball, the duo of EJ Smith (Warren HS) and Jailen Dozier (Downey HS) were credited with five tackles each, with Palu recording a pair of tackles for loss and one sack.