Following a dominant 37-7 victory against Riverside Community College in Saturday’s conference opener, the football will now turn its attention to preparing for this weekend’s home game against rival Mt. San Antonio College.
“We’ve got our hands full this week,” coach John Featherstone said. “There is no question that this will be the toughest game so far.”
The Warriors’ offensive line could once again play a big role in the outcome of the game, as it will try to open up holes for Brian Flowers and company who go against a big Mounties’ defense that is allowing only 66 yards per game on the ground.
The Mounties also lead the conference in team sacks with an average of more than five per game.
“They’ve always dwarfed us on the offensive and defensive lines,” Featherstone said. “They were the number one defense in the conference last year. They’re always a well-coached defensive team.”
Saturday’s game against Mt. SAC will be a key game both from a rivalry standpoint and in the standings.
“Mount SAC is our biggest rival,” kicker Branden Jones said. “It’s our biggest game of the year and we’re going to be so pumped up for it.”
Mt. SAC is coming off an emotional victory over Cerritos College under first-year coach Robert Jastrab. The Mounties won the game, 23-21, as kicker Brain Giambustiani put the ball through the uprights as time expired.
“It’s a real important game in the Mission Conference,” Featherstone said. “We’re just going to keep our mouths shut and get our business done.”
Both the players and coaches are anticipating a tough, hard-fought, and tightly contested game between the two teams.
“It’s going to be a very physical game,” Jones said.
“We always tell them, ‘It’s going to be a bar room brawl this week,'” Featherstone said. “I’ll take my guys in those types of situations. We’ll be ready.”
The Warriors will be looking to duplicate the performance they had against Riverside last weekend, when they put together a solid first half while seemingly controlling all facets of the game from start to finish.
“I thought we played our most complete game,” Featherstone said. “Our goal was to have a better first half than we did the week before against Chaffey, which I think we did.”
The Warriors’ defense held the Tigers to 238 yards of total offense while getting six sacks and forcing three turnovers. The team’s offense was efficient and did not turn the ball over throughout the duration of the game.
“From start to finish, I think we played much better defense,” Featherstone said. “We’ve got a couple of games under our belt and we’re starting to understand the concepts of what we have to get done on defense.”
EC’s Nate Ness stripped the ball from running back Richard Murrell on the Tigers’ opening drive to set the Warriors up with a first and goal on the Riverside 9-yard line. Murrell left the game shortly after with an ankle sprain.
Shortly thereafter, Flowers rushed the ball in for his first of two first-half scores to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead.
Following yet another drive that ended with a fumble leading to an EC score, Tigers quarterback Anthony Andre completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Diontary Toliver to make it 13-7. It was the Tigers’ only score of the game.
Kicker Oscar De Alba booted a field goal at the end of the second quarter to close the half with the Warriors on top, 16-7.
Warriors’ freshman running back Brandon Myles scored in the third quarter while quarterbacks Don Poole and Lyle Moevao each threw fourth-quarter scores to sophomore tight end Devin Adair and freshman wide receiver Kayne Farquharson.
The Warrior defense shutout the Tigers in the second half; sophomore defensive end Manu Moses finished the game with two sacks while sophomore linebacker Tyler Flack contributed a sack and a fumble recovery.
Flack also intercepted a potential touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to give EC the ball back to run out the clock and to seal their first conference victory.
Farquharson, who scored for the second straight week, played his high school football in Miami.
“It was competitive back in Miami, but it’s nothing like Mission Conference football,” Farquharson said. “It just feels good to get our first conference victory.”
