Trailing 14-10 at the half and going on defense to start the second half, the Warriors tried to carry over its momentum from late in the first half.
After a Mt. San Antonio College timeout, Mt. SAC’s quarterback Nick Montana connected with KaelinClay, wide receiver, for a 64-yard catch and the touchdown that made the score 21-10, before the Warriors got its first possession of the second half.
The Warriors played its final game ever in the historic Murdock Stadium ending with a loss, 38-10 to Mt. SAC.
“We had a great game in the first half, but they made their adjustments at halftime and made some big plays on offense,” Ivan McLennan, linebacker, said.
The Warriors’ backup quarterback Nicholas King, started and had an exceptional game with 171-passing yards on 23 of 33 passing yards, a touchdown and 13 rushes for 79 yards.
Starting quarterback Jesse Scroggins wasn’t able to play much with the pinched nerve in his shoulder that kept him out of last week’s game against Citrus.
“Nick is a good quarterback and he’s a dual threat so he can throw it and he can run it when he needs to,” McLennan said.
The Warriors are accustomed to being one of better teams in the nation, but this year the team struggled, ending its season with a record of 7-3.
The main reason was injuries to some key players on both the offense and defense.
“These guys are my brothers and the freshman who had to step in for the starters grew up before my eyes,” McLennan said. “These guys have a lot of experience under their belts know; hopefully they can learn from our mistakes from this year’s team and become great leaders.”
A lot of the sophomores didn’t end their football careers at El Camino the way they would’ve liked.
Some sophomores talked about channeling their emotions and giving everything they had into this game.
“There were some pretty high emotions for the sophomores,” Royshaun Lewis, defensive back, said.. “We took some extra time before kick off in our locker room. I think it was the 12 sophomores on the teams and we discussed how we were the last class to play on Murdock.”
The defense was maligned with several injuries, forcing the Warriors to start with seven freshman this year, but the experience they gained looks to set up a successful season next year.
“All week, the sophomores were telling the freshman how important it is to keep the legacy at El Camino as a winning program,” Lewis said.
“During the course of the game we continued to remind them that we’re no longer freshman anymore,” Lewis added. “The experience they gained this year has made them sophomores already.”
