Cerritos has not held a basketball match since the COVID-19 shutdown was instated last year, but that will change when the Falcons compete against Mt. San Jacinto’s Eagles at the College of the Desert on Nov. 5.

It was on March 5, 2020 when Cerritos lost to Santiago Canyon’s Hawks with a score of 67 -89 in the Southern California Regional Final; the second loss that the team endured for that season.

However, it has been a solid year since both competitors will have played a real match, and so, winning could make for a compelling display of the players’ spirit now—and in addition, the trigger for a boost in morale for the winning team.

According to coach Russell May, the Falcons basketball team has been training every week for five days from three to five p.m. and with a focus on the players’ execution and defense against the Eagles.

The team is watching films of previous games with San Jacinto to better understand the Hawk’s mindset; an issue that coach May hopes will remain as testing.

Of the Falcons’ players who are training, some of the most notable include Jalen Shores, a business management major who helped Ribet Academy win the State CIF Championship during his sophomore year, and Dennis Johnson, an art major who was considered Most Valuable Player as a freshman and sophomore at Compton High School.

All the while, one of the only issues is that the team must be tested for COVID every week.

“I am very excited to see how our team competes and performs in the season opener. I want our team to play hard and play together,” says May.

Both teams are equally matched, having won and lost games only ten or so points ahead or behind as of 2019-2020.

This away game presents Cerritos with the opportunity to win the Frank Garcia Award, the COD’s way of congratulating the winner for an outstanding demonstration of commitment and dedication to the sport.

It is only a matter of whether or not the Falcons will beat the Eagles.

Regardless of what happens, this game will supply a means of reminding participants to continue working hard and grow beyond whatever mistakes they make, as is with each and every game.

The only aspect that makes this game different is the fact that it starts after a rather long break punctuated by world-changing events, and it is because of this fact that maybe playing basketball will help Cerritos to return to normalcy.

It is a nice change from the politics and mortality rates of 2021.