El Camino football team tops Bakersfield College at first home game
El Camino Warriors get ready to take the field for their game against Bakersfield on Saturday, September 10 at Featherstone Field in Torrance. The Warriors defeated the Renegades 30-20, and will play on the road against Ventura College on September 17. (Greg Fontanilla | The Union)
The Warriors football team took the field at Murdock Stadium for the first time during its 2022-’23 season on Saturday, Sept. 10 despite a postponed season opener game against the Santa Monica College Corsairs, initially scheduled for September 3 due to “health concerns”.
Facing off against a seasoned opponent such as the Bakersfield College Renegades, the Warriors attempted to bounce back from its postponed first game.
The Renegades came into week two with a 59-12 victory against Pierce College in their season opener.
The Renegades struck first with a 57-yard touchdown pass, catching the Warriors’ secondary flatfooted. During its first possession, the Warriors turn the ball over on downs after a 23-yard kickoff return and a 7-yard run by running back Marceese Yetts.
El Camino’s first game jitters would begin to shake off in the first quarter with the Warriors’ wide receiver, Joshua Lorick, being the team’s catalyst for gaining momentum.
After forcing the Renegades to punt with 8:23 left in the first quarter, Lorick returned the kick, only to have it called an illegal block penalty. However, this play woke the team up from their slow start.
Lorick would go on to finish the game with five catches for a total of 40 yards and one touchdown on offense, one kick return for 18 yards and two punt returns for 30 yards.
The Union spoke with Lorick after the game and said without hesitation, smiling from ear to ear, “I feel good.”
After the first-half scare, the Warriors’ defense would hold the Renegades to 7 points in the second half, ending the game on top 30-20.
Warriors coach Gifford Lindheim spoke about his pleasure with the team’s first victory of the season.
“I was pleased with our guys tonight. It’s hard playing your first game against a team that’s playing their second game, especially a good and well-coached team like Bakersfield.”
Lindheim said after last week’s postponed first game, the Warriors will focus on watching the film and preparing for the Ventura Pirates.
“I’m pleased with the result,” Lindheim said. “Now, we’ve got to go back to the film and see how we can improve in some of the places where we misstepped tonight. We are looking forward to the next challenge on our schedule.”
The Union spoke with Renegades’ coach R. Todd Littlejohn, who said the costly penalties and turnovers caused the team’s loss. However, he said he remains optimistic and that the loss does not affect their season moving forward.
The Warriors travel north on Sept. 17 to face off against the Ventura Pirates (1-1) football team.
Editor’s Note: Updated photo placement on Sept. 12 at 3:13 p.m.
