Entering the Southern California Regional Playoffs without two of their starters, the Cerritos College men's water polo team was able to post a 15-5 win over Cuesta College on Friday. The Falcons (23-9), seeded #3 for the playoffs, will get another chance to knock off rival Long Beach City College. The two will play Saturday morning at 9:45 a.m. at Mt. San Antonio College for a right to advance to the Southern California Championship game and automatic entry into the CCCAA State Championships next weekend. The top two teams from Northern and Southern California will compete at Pasadena City College next weekend.

Cerritos will have to earn their first win over the Vikings in six tries without the services of Marlon Moreno (Colegio Virgen del Rosario, Venezuela) and Peter Roldan (Downey HS), who are both lost for the season with injuries. Moreno, who has scored 103 goals on the year, fractured his thumb on Wednesday morning at practice, while Roldan was in a car accident right before the South Coast Conference Tournament a week ago and suffered a broken arm. He had 30 goals and was second on the team with 66 steals before his injury

Accounting for nine of the team's goals in the win over the #6-seeded Cougars was freshman Angel Rojas (Colegio Fray Luis Amigo, Venezuela). The school's single-season record holder in goals (148), assists (94) and steals (103), Rojas also posted six steals, assisted on three goals and drew five ejections. He also posted a pair of field blocks to help the team's defensive cause. It was the third time this year Rojas scored nine goals in a game.

Sophomore goalie Alfredo De La Mora (Bell Gardens HS) recorded 15 saves through the first three periods and then spent the fourth period in the field, and might replicate that when the Falcons take on the Vikings. He has a good scoring touch and has scored six times this year. If he sees action in the field, capable freshman Ariel Prado-Madera (Buena Park HS), who had five saves in the fourth period, would spend the game in goal.

The Falcons didn't allow Cuesta to score until the third period, and by then held a convincing 8-0 lead at the half. Cerritos who also received three goals and six assists from freshman Jesus Rojas (Colegio Fray Luis Amigo, Venezuela), matched the five goals scored by the Cougars in the third period and then added two more in the fourth.