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09.08.07
- Sophomore running back Lorenzo Goode led all
rushers Saturday night with 124 yards on 26
carries to help Cerritos start the year off
2-0. |
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Photo
Gallery |
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The Cerritos College football team picked the right time
to win their first game on their new home turf. After
going winless at home last season, the Falcons posted a
15-6 non-conference win against Ventura College Saturday
night. In attendance for the game were 21 players and
coaches from the school’s first football team from 1957,
after they were treated to a pre-game reception by the
college, athletic department and football team. The 2-0
start by Cerritos is their first since the 2002 season
when they started the year 5-0. The Falcons will play
their second of four straight home games next Saturday
when they face Golden West College at 7:00 p.m.
Just as they did last week against
Compton College, the team drove downfield on their first
possession and scored a touchdown. Sophomore running
back Lorenzo Goode (Hermitage (VA) HS/Allan
Hancock College) carried the ball the first four
plays for 45 yards and then accounted for the final 11
yards on a touchdown reception from sophomore
quarterback
AJ Toscano (El Rancho HS).
Goode led all rushers on the night with 124 yards on 26
carries.
But unlike the
first week, when the defense allowed over 400 yards of
offense to Compton, the Falcons shut down the Pirates
and limited them to just 159 yards of total offense on
the night. After getting the ball at their own 27-yard
line midway through the second quarter, the team drove
the ball 55 yards on 11 plays that culminated in a
35-yard field goal by sophomore Jesus Ochoa (Paramount
HS) with 52 seconds left in the first half for a 9-0
lead. The Pirates did get within field goal range with
:02 left in the half, but a 40-yard field goal attempt
by Kris Revels was right left.
Defensively, the
Falcons were not allowing Ventura any big plays, and
were led by sophomore linebacker
Kupono Kaawa (Santa
Fe HS), who finished with 11 tackles, while freshman
linebacker
Kirt Puletasi (Long Beach Jordan HS)
finished with eight stops. The defense also limited the
Pirates to just 40 yards on the ground and they limited
them to just 5-of-12 conversions on third down.
Cerritos took a
15-0 lead with 7:11 left in the third quarter, as they
took the second half kickoff and went 75 yards in 14
plays. On the drive, the Falcons mixed in nine running
plays, while the three passes that were completed went
for first downs, including the touchdown. Faced with a
second-and-goal at the Ventura 11-yard line, Toscano
(13-for-25, 145 yards) connected with sophomore wide
receiver Ryan Pettys (Los Alamitos HS) on
a slant and he went untouched into the end zone.
Ventura did
score on their next possession with 2:25 left in the
third quarter, but did not get into Cerritos territory
the remainder of the game.
A trio of Falcon
receivers led the team with three receptions, with
sophomore Craig Bell (Gardena HS)
finishing with 52 yards, including a great over the
shoulder reception. Pettys and freshman
Sheldon
Smith (Culver City HS) each had three catches
for 30 yards. Freshman
Junior Tivao (Paramount
HS) also had a good all-around game, as he recorded
six tackles and half a sack as a linebacker and rushed
the ball four times for 21 yards and three first downs.
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