El Camino Locks Up Bowl Bid as Its Big 3 Stop Cerritos, 21-17

Last week, El Camino College Coach John Featherstone said his talented quarterbacking tandem--Frank Dolce and Scott Yessner--was like having a pair of stoppers in his bullpen.

Add flanker Mike Jones and make that three stoppers.

Saturday night, at chilly, misty Cerritos College, Dolce--Featherstone’s freshman fireballer--engineered a 95-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown drive that gave El Camino a come-from-behind 21-17 victory.

And Jones caught three passes on the drive, including a sprawling grab over the middle to give the Warriors the ball at the Cerritos 1-yard line. Dolce burrowed across on a sneak from there to cap the drive.

“Jonesy is a clutch player,” said Featherstone of Jones, who finished with 6 receptions and 59 yards.

So, apparently, does the El Camino defense. After Dolce’s TD, the Warriors beat back a last-ditch Cerritos threat. A 39-yard run by Jerrell Waddell and a 23-yard pass play from Jeff Willis to Gary Stick put the Falcons on the El Camino 6-yard line with less than two minutes left.

But El Camino cornerback Larry Bonner made a key one-on-one stop on Marcus Tyrone and Jeffrey Cummins led a gang-tackle of tailback Tyrone Vickers. Another pass from Willis to Stick fell incomplete.

The win enabled El Camino to escape a scare from Cerritos--which is winless in division play--and clinch the Mission Conference northern division title with a 7-1-1 record. The Warriors, 7th-ranked in the state, are also virtual locks of getting a bid in either the PONY Bowl or the Western States Bowl. Both bowl games are scheduled for Dec. 3.

Cerritos got on the board on their first possesion of the game on a Mike Cornelius’ 36-yard field goal.

But El Camino had a 7-3 lead at the half, although four of their five drives ended in punts. The Warriors got a TD when Yessner dumped a pass to Jones over the middle from 3 yards out. Aaron Craver (15 carries for 101 yards) set up the TD with a 30-yard sweep around the right side to the Cerritos 5-yard line.

Both teams exchanged crucial turnovers in the third quarter. Cerritos’ Time Sitala recovered Jones’ fumble at the El Camino 16, and Vickers took it across from the 13 to give the Falcons a 10-7 lead.

But on Cerritos’ next possession, Cummins (who also had a pair of sacks) picked off Willis’ pass and returned it to the Falcon 10. Brian Connors knifed in from the 1 five plays later to give El Camino a 14-10 edge.

Cerritos (0-9) took a 17-14 lead in the final quarter when Waddell (9 carries for 81 yards) barreled over the right side for a 1-yard TD.

Dolce finished with 89 yards on 8 of 12 passing. Sophomore Yessner completed 9 of 10 passes for 66 yards.

Los Angeles Southwest (5-5, 2-3 in the Western State Conference) ended its football season with a 51-22 loss to Moorpark College. Sophomore quarterback Herman Tatum completed 23 passes for 354 yards, and wide receiver Tim Campbell caught 12 passes for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns.