El Camino to Play for National Title After Cerritos Win

El Camino will play for a mythical national championship on Dec. 2 after completing the regular season undefeated (10-0) and winning the Mission Conference Northern Division with a 26-13 victory over Cerritos at Murdock Stadium Saturday.

That gives the Warriors, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 nationally, a 17-game winning streak and the opportunity to play Riverside, also 10-0, for the national championship in the Orange County Bowl.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Cerritos, the division’s second-place team. The Falcons (6-4-1) were simply overpowered by a fierce El Camino defense.

The Warriors were also successful in moving the ball, both in the air and on the ground. Quarterback Frank Dolce completed 20 of 27 passes for 175 yards before leaving the game with a pain in his right wrist with 8:26 remaining, and running back Al Savea gained 103 yards on 20 carries.

Cerritos scored its second touchdown with 1:49 left to play when second-string quarterback Peter Montera connected with Marcus Tyrone for four yards.

El Camino scored only once in the the second half, but it was enough for the 13-point victory.

The Warriors gained 81 yards in a 15-play drive that was capped by running back Alfred Lowe’s six-yard run into the end zone.

El Camino’s first touchdown came with 51 seconds left in the first quarter. On second and 10 from the Cerritos 13-yard line, Dolce was flushed out of the pocket, sprinted through the wide-open right side of the field and flipped into the end zone for the score. Louis Perez’s point-after kick gave the Warriors a 7-0 edge.

The Warriors scored on their next possession, a five-play, 48-yard drive capped by Savea’s one-yard run with 12:23 left in the second quarter.

Then El Camino took advantage of Niu Sale’s 55-yard punt return by driving 22 yards for its third touchdown of the first half. Dolce hit tight end Marlon McBride for an eight-yard pass that gave the Warriors a 20-7 halftime lead.

Cerritos scored its only touchdown with 6:44 remaining in the half, thanks to three costly El Camino penalties. The Falcons drove 65 yards in 14 plays.