Trailing 14-0 heading into the fourth quarter, the Cerritos College football team was able to tie the game at 14-14. That didn't last all too long, as visiting Golden West College scored with one second left on the clock to pull out a 21-14 win over the Falcons on Saturday. With one game left on their schedule, Cerritos (4-5, 2-4) must defeat host East Los Angeles College (6-3, 4-2) next Saturday at 6:00 p.m. to be eligible for a post-season bowl game. The Huskies have won the last two meetings against the Falcons after Cerritos started their all-time series by winning the first 17 games.

It was a defensive battle through the first half, but both teams having field goal attempts blocked. The Rustlers got on the scoreboard right before halftime with :29 seconds remaining. They doubled their lead on their first offensive possession of the third quarter.

It took until the beginning of the fourth quarter before the Falcons were able to get on the scoreboard. With running back numbers short, linebackers EJ Smith (Warren HS) and Ronal Tebo, Jr. (Northview HS) stepped up to handle some of the offensive load. The two combined for 29 yards on the team's first scoring drive. Faced with third and one at the Rustlers 36-yard line, Smith kept the drive alive by rushing for a first down, while freshman quarterback Andre Lampley (St. John Bosco HS) capped off the drive by connecting with sophomore wide receiver Michael Bruner (Long Beach Wilson HS) in the corner of the end zone from 22 yards out on another third down play.

The defense held Golden West on their next two drives and took over possession of the ball at the Rustlers 44-yard line with 5:06 left on the clock. Lining up for a fourth-and-one play at the Golden West 35-yard line, and offside call against the Rustlers gave the Falcons a first down. On the next play, Lampley and Bruner connected again, this time on the other side of the end zone for a scoring strike from 30 yards out. The extra point by Christian Guerra (Paramount HS) tied the game at 14-14 with 3:24 remaining.

Once again, the defense held, which gave the offense another shot and winning the game. However, the team was forced to punt the ball away, and Golden West was able to take over at their own 44-yard line after a 29-yard punt. It took six plays and 40 seconds for Golden West to win the game, as quarterback Parker Awad dropped a pass over the shoulder into the outstretched arms of Tyler Hampton from 23 yards out.

Lampley finished the game 11-for-25 for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Bruner. Cheo Medina (Northview HS) led the running attack with 50 yards on 19 carries, while Smith contributed 42 yards on six totes on offense and contributed four stops on defense. Tebo, Jr. who rushed for 12 yards, led the defense with eight stops, along with Leroy Palu (Mayfair HS). Defensive back Zedekiah Rodriguez-Brown (Los Altos HS) made six stops and also picked off his state-leading seventh pass on the year.

Photos by Daryl Peterson