With a 41-21 victory over the Long Beach City Vikings, EC secured the coveted ‘War Axe’ trophy.

The Warriors will play Compton Saturday at 6 p.m at Murdock Stadium.

EC and Long Beach have been rivals for more than 50 years with the ‘War Axe’ being desired by both teams.

“We started a little slow, but it was our first road game,” coach John Featherstone said. “We settled down on both sides of the ball.”

At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied, 7-7.

In the second quarter, the Warriors ended a 41-yard drive with a 23-yard field goal by kicker Brian Blumberg. From there, free safety Alphonso Bruton went on to block a punt and return it for a touchdown on the next possession.

“The second quarter was a bust-out quarter for us,” Featherstone said.

In the second quarter, the Warriors outscored Long Beach 24-0.

Bruton blocked the punt and returned the ball seven yards for a touchdown. After the blocked punt, the Vikings never got back into the game.

“We came out, played hard and made sure that we kept with the game plan. We didn’t want to give them the opportunity to gain any momentum,” Bruton said.

Viking running back Darren Tubbs fumbled the ball twice on consecutive drives, resulting in two touchdowns for EC. At the end of the second quarter, the score was 31-7.

Viking running back Stephen Burton scored his second touchdown in the fourth quarter with a one-yard run to make the score 41- 21.

“Offensively, we want to continue to improve a little bit every week,” Featherstone said. “(Quarterback) Jimmy Coy had a solid game, but he wasn’t quite as good as the first game.”

Coy completed 17 of 27 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns.

Running back Andre Harris carried nine times for 28 yards, scoring the Warrior’s lone rushing touchdown.

On the defensive side, Featherstone rotated 22 players, which has been key in keeping them from becoming fatigued.

“We kept them fresh and even some of our third-team guys are getting some action as well,” Featherstone said.

“The defense has been consistent over the past two games, but Compton’s offense will be more of a challenge than the previous offensive lines,” Featherstone said.

“Compton has a very powerful offense. They have been averaging thirty points per game,” Featherstone said.

Compton lost its season opener to Fullerton, 35-19, but came back in week two, earning a decisive 42-34 victory over Pasadena.

“We just know if we play our game, do what we have to do, and follow our game plan, we will be successful,” wide receiver Ken McRoyal said.

McRoyal was a player of the game with five catches for 67 yards and one touchdown.

Wide receiver Will Bullock duplicated McRoyal’s performance, catching five passes for 67 yards while scoring two touchdowns.

Like McRoyal, Bullock said he believes that the Warriors need to follow the game plan when playing against Compton.

“We can’t let them get into our heads so we get frustrated,” Bullock said. “We need stick to what we have to do.”