Posted: Sep 02, 2023
In every sport, the first game of a season is normally used as a gauge to help determine where tour team is at in terms of execution and as an evaluator. For the Cerritos College football team, on Saturday night in their 40-6 win over visiting Antelope Valley, they saw that there is versatility and depth at many positions.
It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools and Cerritos wasted little time making an impact, as they opened up a 17-0 lead after the first quarter, by balancing their offense with an opportunistic defense.
On their first defense series, they recorded a takeaway, as sophomore defensive back Quinn Potts (Dominguez HS/New Mexico State University) picked off a Sharmon Rester pass giving the Falcons possession at their own 46-yard line.
The Falcon offense converted their first third down situation, which led to a 28-yard strike from freshman quarterback Evan Tomich (Mayfair HS) to sophomore wide receiver Michael Bruner (Long Beach Millikan HS) to get the team on the board.
Coming right back on defense, Cerritos forced a three-and-out after a couple of good open field tackles. On the ensuing punt, the ball was snapped over the head of Marauders punter Gavin Rohewal, with the ball recovered in the end zone by freshman Isaac Acosta (La Serna HS) for a touchdown.
It was another first quarter turnover by the defense that led to a 22-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Aiden Petruescu (La Mirada HS/Long Island University). Sophomore free safety Champ Rodriguez (St. Anthony HS) stepped in front of a Rester pass and returned it 12 yards to get the Falcons in good field position.
Continuing to prevent Antelope Valley to generate any offense, the defense forced another punt, with this one going just 28 yards and allowed the Falcons to start in Marauder territory. One of the big defensive plays on the series was a quarterback sack by sophomore defensive tackle Tevita Toliseli (pictured, left; Gahr HS).
The team's other freshman quarterback, Dylan Eldredge (Cypress HS) also connected with Bruner on a touchdown, as he dropped a pass into his hands from 48 yards on the first play of the drive, with the Falcons opening a commanding 24-0 lead.
Even coming out in the second half, the defense remained in high gear, as they recorded a safety when Rester was sacked in the end zone by sophomores Macc Manu (Lakewood HS) and Anakin Aupiu (St. Anthony HS/Southwestern Oklahoma State University). It wasn't until the fourth quarter before Antelope Valley had positive rushing yards, as they finished with just 27 yards on the ground.
Tomich and Eldredge combined to complete 19-of-32 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Probably the best-looking touchdown of the game came early in the fourth quarter when Tomich connected with freshman wide receiver Chase Grosfeld (Los Alamitos HS) from 21 yards out. On the play, Grosfeld, son of head coach Dean Grosfeld, snagged a ball out of the air as he reached the end zone for a touchdown.
Cerritos closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter when sophomore running back Marcus Minor (Lakewood HS) raced through the middle of the field from 31 yards out for a touchdown.
On the night, nine different players carried the ball at least once, while Bruner finished the night with four receptions for 107 yards. As for Grosfeld, he was able to pull in eight passes for 90 yards.
It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools and Cerritos wasted little time making an impact, as they opened up a 17-0 lead after the first quarter, by balancing their offense with an opportunistic defense.
On their first defense series, they recorded a takeaway, as sophomore defensive back Quinn Potts (Dominguez HS/New Mexico State University) picked off a Sharmon Rester pass giving the Falcons possession at their own 46-yard line.
The Falcon offense converted their first third down situation, which led to a 28-yard strike from freshman quarterback Evan Tomich (Mayfair HS) to sophomore wide receiver Michael Bruner (Long Beach Millikan HS) to get the team on the board.
Coming right back on defense, Cerritos forced a three-and-out after a couple of good open field tackles. On the ensuing punt, the ball was snapped over the head of Marauders punter Gavin Rohewal, with the ball recovered in the end zone by freshman Isaac Acosta (La Serna HS) for a touchdown.
It was another first quarter turnover by the defense that led to a 22-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Aiden Petruescu (La Mirada HS/Long Island University). Sophomore free safety Champ Rodriguez (St. Anthony HS) stepped in front of a Rester pass and returned it 12 yards to get the Falcons in good field position.
Continuing to prevent Antelope Valley to generate any offense, the defense forced another punt, with this one going just 28 yards and allowed the Falcons to start in Marauder territory. One of the big defensive plays on the series was a quarterback sack by sophomore defensive tackle Tevita Toliseli (pictured, left; Gahr HS).The team's other freshman quarterback, Dylan Eldredge (Cypress HS) also connected with Bruner on a touchdown, as he dropped a pass into his hands from 48 yards on the first play of the drive, with the Falcons opening a commanding 24-0 lead.
Even coming out in the second half, the defense remained in high gear, as they recorded a safety when Rester was sacked in the end zone by sophomores Macc Manu (Lakewood HS) and Anakin Aupiu (St. Anthony HS/Southwestern Oklahoma State University). It wasn't until the fourth quarter before Antelope Valley had positive rushing yards, as they finished with just 27 yards on the ground.
Tomich and Eldredge combined to complete 19-of-32 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Probably the best-looking touchdown of the game came early in the fourth quarter when Tomich connected with freshman wide receiver Chase Grosfeld (Los Alamitos HS) from 21 yards out. On the play, Grosfeld, son of head coach Dean Grosfeld, snagged a ball out of the air as he reached the end zone for a touchdown.
Cerritos closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter when sophomore running back Marcus Minor (Lakewood HS) raced through the middle of the field from 31 yards out for a touchdown.
On the night, nine different players carried the ball at least once, while Bruner finished the night with four receptions for 107 yards. As for Grosfeld, he was able to pull in eight passes for 90 yards.
Toliseli (1½ sacks, hurry) and sophomore strong safety Tyreek Bradley (St. John Bosco HS) each posted six stops, while the defense registered three sacks on the night.
Photos by Daryl Peterson
Photos by Daryl Peterson
