Bulldogs Top Cerritos in Historical Victory

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The Allan Hancock College football program earned its first win in program history over Cerritos College at home on Saturday afternoon. Prior to the win, Hancock had lost 10-straight matchups against the Falcons, with the last three showings being decided by one possession. | BOX SCORE

Both teams were forced to punt on their opening drives but it was Cerritos (1-2) who jumped on the board first with a 24-yard field goal midway through the opening frame. The Falcons doubled their lead with another field goal from 21-yards out to open the second quarter and held a 6-0 lead at the intermission.

Hancock's defense stopped the scoring drought for the Bulldogs after capitalizing on a Falcons fumble in their own endzone on the opening drive of the second half, which led to a safety. The Bulldogs (3-0) took the lead for the first time with just under two minutes to play in the third quarter after Esekielu Storer completed a 35-yard pass to Mike McCoy for a touchdown, giving the squad an 8-6 advantage. Hancock's defense came through again in the final frame after Vic Garnes recorded a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown with eight minutes remaining in regulation, solidifying the 15-6 victory for the Bulldogs.

Both teams found offensive success through the air as Hancock posted 156 net passing yards and Cerritos notched 174 net passing yards. Storer quarterbacked the offense with a 9-for-16 showing, which included one touchdown and one interception. McCoy led the receiving pack with 93 yards, followed by Jaleel Walker who totaled 63 yards on three catches. Maurice Smith led the ground game for the Bulldogs with 15 carries for 25 yards, followed by Christian Erickson (11 carries / 25 yards) and Zidane Thomas (9 carries / 21 yards). 

Defensively, the Bulldogs forced 36 lost yards on six tackles for loss and two sacks. The squad was led by Ronald Fuselier, who posted eight tackles and broke up two passes. Devin Guggia, Latrell Brown, and Jesse Garza followed as they chipped in with six tackles each. Brown, Garza, John Sniffen, and Hiram Anakalea also recorded sacks in the contest. 

On special teams, Colton Theaker finished the contest with 275 yards off the tee, 181 punting yards, and was 1-for-2 on PAT's. He placed three punts inside the 20-yard line, including one that was downed on the one-yard line, and recorded one touchback. BJ Jordan led a trio of Bulldogs on the kickoff return with 24 yards on two attempts. 

NOTABLES:

• Today's victory marks the first win over Cerritos in program history. The series, which the Falcons now lead 10-1, was established when the two teams first met in 1962 under the direction of John Madden. 
• This was the first meeting of these two teams since the 2015 season.
• Cerritos entered today's contest ranked at No. 18 while the Bulldogs entered at No. 22.

UP NEXT:

The Bulldogs are set to resume action on Saturday, September 25th, with a road trip against Fullerton College. Kickoff is set for 4 PM at Nathan Shapell Memorial Stadium in Yorba Linda, Calif.