The Cerritos College football team did what Zenyatta couldn’t do: come from behind to defeat Bakersfield College 27-21 last Saturday.

While the legendary horse fell a head short of capping off a perfect 20-0 racing career, the Falcons were able to rebound from a 21-6 deficit to defeat the Renegades.

Bakersfield kicker Josh Gallington lined up to attempt a 47-yard field goal with one final second remaining in the fourth quarter.

Falcons head coach Frank Mazzotta called three consecutive timeouts in an attempt to ice Gallington.

As the kick went up, it was blocked by Falcons safety Keith McGill and Falcons defensive back Tyrone Taylor scrambled to the three-yard line and scooped up the ball.

Taylor scampered through the stunned Bakersfield offense, who suddenly had to tackle the speedy defender, down the field to their 20 yard line before pitching the ball to McGill.

McGill hurtled a defender and finished a 97-yard touchdown return, sealing the Falcons’ third consecutive win.

The score sent shockwaves through the stadium as both the crowd and the team erupted in celebration.

“Man, I just picked up the ball and ran, that’s all I could do,” Taylor said.

“I feel very very, very great right now. We started off slow, played harder and came back and won.”

Several of the players were more ecstatic about the victory, which moved Cerritos into a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten with Bakersfield College and College of the Canyons.

The Falcons own the tie-breaker after defeating both teams in the last two weeks.

Falcons head coach Frank Mazzotta sarcastically gave himself the credit for drawing up the final chaotic play.

“In the end, I have to take all the credit, it was great coaching,” Mazzotta joked.

He went on to give his team players credit for their resiliency over the Renegades.

“We just tried to do some things we didn’t plan on doing and got out of rhythm but we made some adjustments,” he said.

McGill said that he kept screaming for Taylor to give up the ball, right before he was tackled to the ground.

“[We] were on the field talking, and I’m like ‘Tyrone, pass it back, pass it back’, and he kept saying, ‘not yet’,” McGill said with a laugh.

While Cerritos struggled to find itself early on, big plays seemed to get the team going.

Wide receiver Silver Viafanua broke off a 62-yard punt return that led to sophomore running back Jaron Hytche rushing the ball in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown.

Sophomore running back Daveon Baveon ran over a defender and spun past another on his way to a 44-yard run.

Sophomore wide receiver Dion Curry returned a punt for a touchdown but it was negated by a clipping penalty.

Curry was involved in a match-up with Bakersfield running back Julian Dean-Johnson for the third time in their lives and he gave the tailback nothing but credit.

“It was a pleasure going up against Julian again. He did a great job of running the ball just like in high school.”

Curry, along with the rest of the Falcons, has his eyes set on finishing the season strong.

“I want three rings, one for conference, a bowl game, and the state championship,” he said. “We have to just keep going just like we started no breaks.”

Sophomore David Lopez has led the defensive unit in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and fumble recoveries.

Lopez added to his season totals on Saturday with seven tackles and one pass break-up.

“Tonight is a great night; we all came together as a team. Football isn’t just about playing, it’s about miracles and tonight we had a lucky play, but we got the victory,” he said.

Lopez went on to express his readiness for the playoffs.

“I’m excited because we are getting ready for the playoffs and anything happens there,” he said.

As the season nears its end, the players are beginning to see their hard work pay off.

“We’ve been waiting for this,” wide receiver Gerrly Bennett said. “We have been working at it since the spring. The moment has come, it’s here and it’s about to be over.”

Mazzotta has acknowledged the players’ consistent effort when he said, “This is what we worked for. We put ourselves in a bad position but we wanted to be playing for it.”

He continued, “I feel our kids have really come back. What we [as coaches] preach about hanging in there and being in shape in the fourth quarter, is really starting to pay off.”

The Falcons will finish the regular season with an away game against Allan Hancock College at Righetti High School in Santa Maria.

The Bulldogs are 3-6, 0-4 in conference play, and they look to break a four-game losing streak.

Falcons’ wide receiver Darryl Jenkins says his team will come out harder and more determined in their next match-up.

“We came out and took it to [Bakersfield],” he said. “Next week against Hancock, we have to step it up even more.”