No. 15/16 Cerritos uses big plays on offense and defense to secure win over No. 8/9 Fullerton. 32-24; All CCCAA scores here
FULLERTON - Unable to pull away from host Fullerton College on Saturday night, the Cerritos College football team looked to their defense to secure their 32-24 win. The victory improves the Falcons to 2-0 on the season, and will host Allan Hancock College at 6:00 p.m. next Saturday in their home opener.
Leading 25-17 in the third quarter after sophomore quarterback Jordan Simpson (Gahr HS) connected with sophomore wide receiver Noah Sanchez (Villa Park HS) just inside the pylon from 24 yards with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter, the Falcons saw the Hornets (1-1) respond :39 seconds later with a long kick return and two-play drive and held a slim 25-24 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Cerritos was able to convert a third-and-11 when Simpson hit sophomore running back Travys Davis (Artesia HS/Aurora, IL University) out of the backfield for 27 yards. The drive stalled at the Fullerton 34-yard line and the Falcons decided to go for it on fourth down. A short-hop pass to freshman Jaceon Doss (St. John Bosco HS) turned the ball over on downs with 12:18 remaining.
Over the course of the next three defensive series, Cerritos was able to hold off Fullerton. After forcing a punt, the Falcons once again moved the ball into Hornet territory, but stalled at the 35-yard line. For the second time in a row, they went for it on fourth down, but could not convert and the Hornets had another chance to take the lead.
A pair of dropped passes from Jordan Smith was followed by a pass breakup from Jhamell Blenman II (St. Bernard HS) on fourth down, which gave Cerritos the ball at their own 40 yard line. Sophomore Davon Booth (El Monte HS) only needed one play to bounce off left tackle to the outside and race 60 yards for an insurance touchdown with 2:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and a 32-24 lead.
Fullerton, who still had all three timeouts remaining, had one more chance to score and convert a two-point play to tie the game. But freshman linebacker Aiden Chapman (Bishop Alemany HS) would have nothing to do with that, as he sacked quarterback Josh Calvin on second down and then picked him off at midfield on a fourth down play to secure the win.
Simpson finished the game 19-of-34 for 326 yards and three touchdowns, while Booth finished the night with 136 yards on 16 carries and a score. Doss, who caught a pair of touchdown passes, pulled in five passes for 105 yards, while Sanchez finished with four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. The 326 passing yards were the most by a Falcon since TJ McMahon (Rice University) threw for 352 yards against Fullerton in 2019.
Sophomore linebacker Jonathan Fuamatu (St. Paul HS) and sophomore cornerback Jayden Dunlap (Lawndale HS/Los Angeles Harbor College) each recorded six stops, while four different players had four tackles. Chapman finished the night with three tackles, two quarterback sacks, two tackles for loss, an interception and a quarterback hurry.
(John Van Gaston, Cerritos College Athletics)
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
NATIONAL DIV. NON-LEAGUE GAMES
Butte 28, Diablo Valley 14
Laney 13, American River 9
Modesto 15, Santa Rosa 7
Reedley 35, Chabot 14
San Francisco 30, Sacramento 10
San Mateo 45, Sequoias 21
Shasta 37, San Joaquin Delta 30
Sierra 31, Fresno 28
Contra Costa at Siskiyous, pp’d to 11/19, wildfires
AMERICAN DIV. NON-LEAGUE GAMES
De Anza 56, Gavilan 21
Feather River 70, Cabrillo 14
Foothill 49, Merced 7
San Jose 30, Redwoods 27
West Hills 42, Los Medanos 41
Hartnell 47, Yuba 28
Bye: Monterey Peninsula
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL DIV. NON-LEAGUE GAMES
Allan Hancock 41, San Bernardino Valley 0
Canyons 43, Southwestern 7
Cerritos 32, Fullerton 24
Chaffey 42, East Los Angeles 35 (OT)
El Camino 30, Bakersfield 20
Golden West 22, Palomar 3
Mt. San Antonio 13, Saddleback 6
Riverside 48, Long Beach 20
San Diego Mesa 35, Ventura 20
AMERICAN DIV. NON-LEAGUE GAMES
Citrus 50, Grossmont 14
Compton 20, Los Angeles Southwest 10
Desert 27, Los Angeles Valley 10
Glendale 28, Victor Valley 10
Moorpark 34, Santa Ana 31
Mt. San Jacinto 29, Antelope Valley 13
Pasadena 27, Santa Monica 20
Santa Barbara 45, Orange Coast 7
West Los Angeles 36, Los Angeles Pierce 7