Posted: Sep 23, 2023
Not to be confused with one of their more impressive wins, the Cerritos College football team relied on their defensive prowess in the secondary, coupled with just enough offense to come away with a 36-15 National Division Central League win over visiting Orange Coast College on Saturday night.
The team will be on the road next Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. Central League game against rival Long Beach City College (2-2, 1-0). The Crosstown Cup will also be on the line, with the Falcons (3-1, 1-0) holding possession after their 35-28 Western State Bowl win last season.
The team will be on the road next Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. Central League game against rival Long Beach City College (2-2, 1-0). The Crosstown Cup will also be on the line, with the Falcons (3-1, 1-0) holding possession after their 35-28 Western State Bowl win last season.
It was a struggle on offense through the first quarter and the team trailed, 8-0 early in the second quarter. The Falcons had a punt snap go over the head of sophomore Aiden Petruescu (La Mirada HS/Long Island University), who wisely pushed the ball through the back of the end zone to prevent a potential fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Pirates.
After allowing an early second quarter field goal, Cerritos started to move the ball on offense and used a 26-yard completion to sophomore tight end Emmanuel McNeal (Long Beach Millikan HS) to help highlight the drive. They also received a first down on a pass interference call on fourth down and four plays later, freshman running back Cheo Medina (Northview HS) busted in from two yards out. The Falcons missed the extra point and trailed, 8-6.
The defense picked off their first of four passes on the night when sophomore linebacker Ronal Tebo, Jr. (Northview HS) stepped in front of a Baylor Ayres pass at the Orange Coast 30-yard line. The offense stalled and came away without any points when Petruescu was wide right on a 26-yard field goal.
That didn't stop the defense from doing their job when sophomore Tyler Henry (St. Anthony HS/Fort Lewis, CO College) picked off new quarterback Zach Congalton at the Pirates 27-yard line. It was another missed scoring chance when the Falcon offense could not get anything going and punted the ball away.
With the first half winding down, the Pirates were driving and looking to take a lead into intermission. They drove down to the Cerritos seven-yard line and one first-and-goal, sophomore Mister Bridges (Lakewood HS) displayed his open field speed when he intercepted a pass at the five-yard line and raced untouched for a 95-yard return for touchdown. It was the second longest interception return in school history, with the record 99-yarder brought back by Willie Fletcher against Fullerton College in 2013.
Looking to catch the Falcons off-guard on a punt formation, the Pirates tried to run for a first down midway through the third quarter and were turned away deep in their own territory. It took Cerritos one play for freshman quarterback Dylan Eldredge (Cypress HS) to connect on a 20-yard scoring strike to freshman Gavin Porch (Los Alamitos HS) for a touchdown. That was followed by a successful two-point conversion on a pass from Eldredge to freshman wide receiver Chase Grosfeld (Los Alamitos HS).
On their next possession, the Falcons needed just two plays and 44 seconds to score again after taking over possession at midfield. A penalty against the Pirates was followed by an 18-yard completion to Grosfeld. Medina then rushed into the end zone from 12 yards out for his second score of the night.
They scored again on their next possession, as Eldredge found freshman wide receiver Jaylen Baker (Mayfair HS) open in the middle of the field for a 33-yard pass, coupled with a roughing the passer penalty. On the next play, Eldredge hit sophomore wide receiver Dillon Laurer (Downey HS) who found an opening in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
Aside from the interceptions, the defense was spearheaded by Anakin Aupiu (St. Anthony HS/Southwestern Oklahoma State University), who had nine tackles and a sack, while Leroy Palu (Mayfair HS) added seven stops and broke up two passes at the lone of scrimmage from his defensive tackle position. Freshman linebacker EJ Smith (Warren HS) added six stops, while six other players had five tackles in the win.
