Despite a 49-13 Warrior victory over Southwestern the first football match of the 2023 season ended abruptly with a major injury taking place on the field in Murdock Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2.
With 19 seconds left in the 4th quarter El Camino defensive back Travis Roberts suffered a serious undetermined leg injury, collapsing on the field and crying out as officials rushed to his aid. Family members of Roberts, who were at the stadium, scrambled to reach him on the field.
The unfortunate end to the game also overshadowed a historic first in El Camino football history as Gabriella De La Cruz, a kicker on the team, became the first woman Warrior to score points during a game. As reported by the El Camino College Warrior website Del La Cruz managed to score early on in the second quarter.
Roughly 15 minutes after the initial injury Athletics Director Jeff Miera helped guide an ambulance onto Featherstone Field. As Roberts was lifted onto the ambulance by paramedics the entirety of his fellow Warriors converged around their injured teammate in a show of support.
The remaining seconds of the game were canceled, the unforeseen close to the fourth quarter ended with El Camino winning their first game of the 2023 season.
In contrast to the dramatic conclusion, the game began slow with both El Camino and Southwestern gaining possession twice each and ending the quarter with a 7-0 lead for the Warriors.
El Camino ramped up the offense, ultimately scoring 28 points in the second quarter
Starting quarterback Dayton Tafoya helped lead his offense to a total of 6 offensive touchdowns in the game. Tafoya was 9 for 11 with his passes throwing for 167 yards and a 52-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Reynoso, who himself had 2 receiving touchdowns.
El Camino running back Marceese Yetts broke a 52-yard run for a touchdown and the drive, following that Jakai Torres scored a rushing touchdown as the game hit halftime with the score of 35-0 for the Warriors.
Tafoya was subbed out in the 3rd quarter with quarterback Champion Edwards. Edwards displayed great scrambling ability on the field and went 9-10 with his passing throwing for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker Devon Jones is redshirted this season due to transferring from Santa Ana College but still practices with the team. Speaking to The Union prior to the game Jones said he has insight into how the team prepares.
“All the players focus on their assignments,” he said. “Every piece of the puzzle needs to be able to click.”
The offense was not the only Warriors scoring touchdowns in the seasonal debut as defensive lineman Fuller Cohen was able to take advantage of a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage.
Not only did Cohen manage to get the interception but the touchdown score as well.
The Southwestern offense, led in part by quarterback Aleks Wojcik, struggled to move the ball downfield throughout the game until the fourth quarter
Two rushing touchdowns coming from running back Hamadi Sharif and a good kick from kicker Oswaldo Castillo gave the Jaguars 13 points, not enough to overtake the Warriors before the game’s abrupt ending due to Robert’s injury.
The Warriors will return to the gridiron once again next Saturday.
Next Match
El Camino vs Palomar College Comets
@ El Palomar College
Date: Saturday Sept. 9
Time: 6 p.m.
This is a developing story, The Union will have further updates regarding the Travis Robert’s Injury and Gabriella De La Cruz.
