El Camino Pulls Out Win Over Long Beach

El Camino College escaped deja vu Saturday night and, perhaps, put to rest a ghost from its past.

The Warriors, who dominated Long Beach City College through the first 30 minutes of play, had to resort to the unexpected to pull out a 19-14 win before 2,500 fans at Murdock Stadium.

Trailing 12-0, Long Beach came back to take a 14-12 lead with 2:57 to go, only to see Warrior quarterback Danny Speltz connect on a 74-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Wills on a fourth and eight with just 1:17 left in the game.

The Long Beach comeback and near win nearly duplicated a 1975 contest between the two schools, when previously unbeaten El Camino was knocked from the nation’s No. 1 ranking by winless Long Beach.

Long Beach entered Saturday night’s game 0-4 in the conference, and El Camino had not lost and was 7-0 overall.

The win was another step toward El Camino’s first South Coast Conference football title.

El Camino struggled in the win, despite amassing 360 yards in total offense.

And the defensive team that held Long Beach to just four yards rushing in the first two quarters was asked to hold a lead too many times in the second half as the usually explosive Warrior offense bogged down.

In the first 30 minutes El Camino sacked Long Beach quarterback Rick Wildt five times and deflected two of his pass attempts. Wildt completed just three of his first 12 pass attempts under heavy pressure. He was intercepted once during that time.

About the only offensive threat Long Beach had in the first half was punter Bryan Farris. Farris bailed Long Beach out of trouble deep in their own territory six times in the first half, including a pair of towering 45-yard kicks in the first quarter.

But Long Beach shocked El Camino on its first possession of the second half and clawed its way back into the game with an 80-yard drive capped by a 16-yard run up the middle for a score by Darryl Le’Sure.

Long Beach marched to the Warrior 20 on its next possession, but when the drive stalled a 38-yard field goal attempt by Ed Beaulac sailed wide left.

Long Beach took the lead on a 27-yard pass from Wildt to Andre Johnson.

El Camino looked like it would dominate the game in the first half, despite a sluggish performance that saw:

* A 74-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Speltz to wide receiver Dwight Pickens called back on a penalty.

* Speltz sacked three times and chased out of the pocket on four other attempts.

* Speltz intercepted in the end zone on a second and goal at the five with two minutes left in the half.

* Two point after touchdown attempts go awry.

* And punter Lance Oberparleiter pressed into service four times.

The 74-yard completion to Pickens was especially frustrating to El Camino. Last week, in a 12-7 win over Compton College, Speltz hooked up with Pickens on a 79-yard pass for an apparent score. But that, too, was called back because of a penalty.

Despite the fact that Speltz competed eight of his first 10 passes, El Camino could not score in the first period.

But on the first play of the second quarter the Warriors took the lead for good on a one-yard run by Aaron Craver. The off-tackle slant capped a six-play, 33 yard drive. However, Long Beach defensive back Bryan Burnett broke through the Warrior front line and got a piece of the extra point attempt by Dominic Cefalone.

Long Beach could not move the ball on its next possession and after a 38-yard punt by Farris, Speltz marched the Warriors 49 yards in six plays for another touchdown. A two-point pass attempt failed.

A Long Beach drive stalled at the 50, and following another punt, Speltz found Pickens streaking up the Viking sideline. Pickens had beaten Long Beach defensive back Efrum Thomas at the Viking 40 yard line, but had to come back for Speltz’s pass before romping into the end zone. The 74-yard completion was called back on a holding call against left tackle Derick Nelons, who was blocking 6-5, 250-pound Viking defensive lineman Brian Williams.