The El Camino College Warriors defeated the Santa Monica College Corsairs, finishing 55-7 over its opponents.

Their matchup was originally scheduled for Sept. 3 but was canceled due to Santa Monica’s inability to field enough players.

To avoid forfeiting a potential postseason, forcing both teams to miss 10% of their season, the Corsairs’ athletic department worked with El Camino to reschedule the matchup.

The Union spoke with Santa Monica College’s Athletic Director, Reggie Ellis, after the game. When asked about his feelings on his team’s loss, Ellis said that they expected the challenge.

“We were expecting it to be a rough game for us…by sheer numbers…but our guys tried their hardest, and that’s all we can do,” Ellis said.

The Corsairs finished with only 116 total yards on offense and seven points, and their defense allowed 609 yards and 55 points.

The Warriors’ defense opened the game with high energy and aggressive tackling, led by stand-out linebacker, Lando Brown, who finished the game with two tackles.

The Corsairs finished the first quarter with 0 total yards on offense and were forced to punt on their first seven possessions.

The Warriors’ offense performed well throughout the night as an early 21-0 first-quarter lead allowed them the opportunity to get more players involved in the game.

A total of 16 different Warriors had at least one reception, and 10 different players rushed the ball. Warriors running back Marceese Yetts led the team with 65 reception yards, tacking on a 38-yard reception early on.

On the first offensive possession of the evening, Warriors’ quarterback, Mekhi Jordan, reached the back of the end zone for a two-yard rushing score, jumpstarting the team’s dominant victory.

Jordan finished the game with 13-17 passes completed for a total of 168 yards and one touchdown. Together, he and fellow quarterback, Jeliun Carter, led their team with 409 yards passing, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The Union spoke with Jordan after the game who said that he was excited for his teammates that got a chance to play, partly due to his team’s lead during the first half.

“Good team win. It was good to see a lot of guys play. I know a lot of guys don’t get to play, so it was good to see that energy,” Jordan said.

One of those players was wide receiver, Nick Laufenberg. Laufenberg grabbed his second catch of the season and returned it for a touchdown of 62 yards.

After the game, Laufenberg expressed his gratitude on behalf of all of the players that got a chance to get some action tonight. When asked about his goal for the remainder of the season, Laufenberg said that he wants to see championship gold for his team.

“Just to win conference…and to keep getting better..one week at a time, as a team. As a whole,” Laufenberg said.

One of the most excited players after the win was Warriors’ Junior College All-American running back, Brian Santana-Fis. When asked about his team’s victory, Santana-Fis said, “it’s a step in the right direction.”

Santana-Fis’ presence was felt early with a physical first-quarter touchdown, breaking multiple tackles before reaching the end zone.

Santana-Fis finished the game with seven carries, 45 yards and one touchdown.

The Warriors begin conference play next week at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium against an undefeated Mt San Antonio College, on Oct. 15 at 6:00 PM.