The Cerritos College Falcons football team lost a tough game against the Fullerton College Hornets at Falcon Field on the 20-year anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks.
Coach Dean Grosfeld addressed the anniversary of the deadly terror attack ahead of the game.
“It’s crazy it’s been 20 years. You look back and all the people who were around back then who heard about it or saw it on live television can all remember where they were at the moment,” said Grosfeld.
“I have a great amount of respect for the brave first responders who risked and sacrificed their lives to save others that day. A day that the American people will never forget,” said Falcon’s wide receiver Bailey Torres.
The Falcons kicked off at 6 p.m. as the crowd’s cheers roared throughout the stadium, even with their masks on to COVID-19 safety measures.
It was the first time fans were allowed to attend a football game since the 2019 COVID lockdown.
The game would prove to be a defensive battle as the first points of the game were not scored till the second quarter.
The Hornets put together an 11-play, 65-yard drive which led to a second and goal from the Cerritos 6-yard line.
Fullerton running back Branden Rankins rushed in for the 6-yard Touchdown scoring the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter.
The Falcons would then answer back as Falcons running back Davon Booth ran the ball to the left pylon and crossed the goal line before being forced out of bounds to score the first touchdown for Cerritos on an offensive drive that consisted of Nine plays for 59-yards to tie the game after the extra point.
The Falcons would then fall victim to the passing attack on offense and the tremendous run defense put on by Fullerton as the Hornets would go on to beat Cerritos 27-14. Cerritos is now at a 1-1 record after previously beating Pasadena City 22-10.
“Offensively they played badly, we had two new starters on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries hurt us, we had three starting offensive linemen out,” said Grosfeld.
“Defense was the best team on the field. We have 12 returning guys on the defensive side of the ball which helps,” said the coach.
Wide receiver Bailey Torres caught five passes for 117-yards averaging 23.4 yards per catch with his longest being a 50-yard touchdown reception.
“We beat ourselves and just failed to get it done,” said Torres.
Grosfeld hopes for the team to bounce back in their next game against Allan Hancock College on Sept. 18.
