Football 2022 Opener Spells Good Sign Despite 33-31 Loss To Cerritos

With a primarily brand new lineup in skill position players on starting offense, the Pasadena City College football team opened the 2022 season Saturday night with hopes of building on last year's 9-2 run as a SCFA American Mountain League tri-champion and SoCal Bowl champions.

While PCC lost a hard-fought battle v. Cerritos, 33-31, Lancers showed how close they really are to a National Division squad like the Falcons. PCC outgained Cerritos in total offensive yards, 395-316. Robinson Stadium drew its largest attendance to a game in recent memory with more than 1,100 fans.

New quarterback Anthony Arnou, a bounce back freshman from Fresno State, is a heralded passer who set school records as an All-CIF selection for Santa Monica High in 2019. He produced new Samohi standards with 3,886 yards and 36 TD passes in two seasons. 

In his collegiate debut v. Cerritos, the 6-foot-3 Arnou showed his presence in the pocket well in his collegiate debut by completing 23 of 31 passes for 269 yards and two TDs while rushing for another score. 

Jason Sanford, the Pacific League Player of the Year last season at Pasadena High, made the most of his two catches. With PCC trailing 14-0, he made a reception in traffic in pulling a 10-yard TD throw from Arnou on the final play of the first quarter. Down 21-7, Sanford made perhaps the play of the game as Arnou hit him in stride along the sideline as Sanford showed his speed in outracing the Falcons' secondary for a 70-yard touchdown. 

Arnou's keeper and the third of four extra points by kicker Justin Vergara tied the game for the Lancers at 21-21 with 6:36 left in the third quarter. 

Vergara kicked a 34-yard field goal and frosh running back Isaac Glover, who rushed for 1,128 yards and 15 TDs as a senior at Burbank High, raced to an 18-yard touchdown sprint with 4:21 left that cut Cerritos lead to two.

Two big mistakes prevented the Lancers from a possible upset. With nine minutes left, PCC fumbled a booming 51-yard punt by Cerritos kicker Abraham Delgadillo inside the Lancers' 10-yard line. Cerritos cashed in on the miscue with a 9-yard TD run on a reverse by wide receiver Tyron Bates that upped the Falcons' lead to 33-24 with 8:50 remaining. 

The other miscue ended any chance of a last-minute rally. With Cerritos facing a third down-and-5, Michelangelo Loretto made the initial stop for a 4-yard loss but a few other Lancers tacklers were too aggressive in driving back the ball carrier Michael Hayes. Instead of forcing a punt, the Falcons received a 15-yard first down, personal foul penalty v. PCC with 1:24 left in the contest. Cerritos went on to run out the clock.  

Loretto is one of six returning All-SCFA selections on the starting defense. The defensive end matched fellow All-Conference Second Team choice and safety Osvaldo Raigosa for game high in tackles with nine each. Loretto made 1.5 sacks. All-State and All-SCFA First Team linebacker Jordan Monroe added four tackles, a half-sack and a hurry. All-Conference First Team outside linebacker Jaylon McGee contributed four tackles and Second Team defensive tackle Carlos Ramirez had two tackles, a sack and a hurry. All-SCFA Second Team safety Roland "Kea" Rodrigues chipped in four solo tackles.

Two other returning starters on defense include nose guard Luis Canales (five tackles) and outside linebacker Mark Anderson III.

On offense, standouts included starting frosh running back Juaquin Elliott carrying 12 times for a team-high 78 yards (plus two receptions for 21) and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Oscar Willis grabbing a team-best six catches for 76 yards. Glover added five rushes for 37 yards and three receptions for 20 while redshirt sophomore tight end Isaiah Smalls caught five passes for 44 yards.

An experienced player at 6-3, 230 pounds, Smalls played as a freshman in 2018 at NCAA Division I Oregon State when he made eight receptions for 118 yards after a solid career at Dorsey High when he was an All-LA City First Team selection.

Elliott was the CIF Division 6 Player of the Year and All-State as a junior at South Hills High in 2019 when he rushed for 1,720 yards and 21 TDs. 

PCC's offensive line may be its best in more than a decade with returning All-SCFA Second Team center Steven Ortiz (6-0, 245), returning left guard Alan Loreto (6-2, 335), and freshmen in left tackle Erick Contreras (Arcadia, 6-4, 284), right guard Bernardo Brito (Muir, 6-2, 315), and bluechipper in right tackle Guadalupe Cedillo (6-4, 320, Arleta), who was All-LA City Division I and East Valley League Offensive Player of the Year as a senior, an award that normally goes to a skill position player. 

PCC is scheduled to play at Santa Monica College next Saturday, Sept. 10 in a 1 p.m. kickoff. However, SMC postponed its season opener Saturday v. El Camino for undisclosed reasons. The Lancers next return to Robinson Stadium on Sept. 17 in a rematch of the SoCal Bowl v. Santa Ana. Kick off for that game is 6 p.m.

LANCER GRID NOTES: Cerritos is now 24-15 in the all-time series v. PCC...Coach Tucker named Raigosa, Anderson, returning slot receiver Ivan Ostry, Monroe, Loretto, and Loreto as 2022 team captains...Starters in week #1 also included returning safety Nathaniel Palacios, frosh cornerback Secil Ackah (Elsinore High), and transfer sophomore cornerback Noah Schwartz (from Churchill High, San Antonio, Texas), who made 34 tackles last year at D-III Oberlin College (Ohio)...Some players to watch develop on defense include All-CIF Division 11 newcomer nose guard Jose Oliveros (6-2, 300, from Burbank Burroughs HS), frosh inside linebacker Michael Prappas (San Marino), who made four tackles in the opener, redshirt freshman defensive back Devon Mayes (Monrovia High, three tackles), and another inside linebacker Jory Johnson (Charter Oak)...The tight end position is already becoming a strength for the Lancers as Arnou made eight completions to three different tight ends in Smalls, Cameron Woods (Brentwood, two receptions) and Daniel Schwam (from Vienna, Austria, one catch for 10 yards)...The Lancers have 31 letttermen that return from last season...Vergara (Garfield High) is doing all the kicking duties, included punter and kickoffs. He was 4-for-4 on extra points and made his only FG attempt...Tucker has added kicker/specialists coach Rudy Oliveros and Gilbert Jimenez (outside linebackers) to the assistant coaching staff. Returning from last year are offensive coordinator Rob Cushman, co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Marc Paramo, offensive line coach Steven Mojarro (a former interim head coach), Lee Boyd (inside receivers), Devin Bullock (outside receivers), Eric Flowers (co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers), Steve Chang (assistant defensive backs/video coordinator), and strength and conditioning coach Justin Magallanez...In the press box in Cerritos assistant coaching room was none other than Fred Fimbres, who was PCC's head coach from 2011-2014. He is still a full-time instructor at PCC...Scoreboard operater Dwain Crum is in his 25th year on the job. He is the only Lancers football scoreboard operator since Robinson Stadium was opened in 1999. Another loyal, long-time member of the press box crew is Armie Briones on the game clock. Bob McQueen, who has worked many years in the CIF officials association, works the play clock.