Canyons Has Upset Formula

It was a dangerous game for Cerritos, and longtime Coach Frank Mazzotta knew it.

The Falcons, ranked third in the state and seventh in the nation, were playing a rescheduled game against a talented Canyons team on its field in the heat of the afternoon.

“I said it before we played,” Mazzotta said. “I knew this team was good.”

Canyons won its fourth in a row with a 36-33 nonconference upset on an 18-yard field goal by Tom Garagliano in overtime Saturday at College of the Canyons.

The victory was set up for the Cougars (4-1) when Cerritos running back Josh Herrera fumbled on second-and-goal in overtime and Canyons safety Maurice Hart recovered. As they had done all day, the Cougars ran it straight at a tired Cerritos defense.

J.J. Arrington, one of three running backs Canyons features, ran the five times for 17 yards. Quarterback Kyle Bauer also threw seven yards to Jamall Broussard for a key first down.

Canyons, No. 15 in the state, stalled inside the five but knew it could turn to Garagliano. Coach Chuck Lyon said the victory only ranked behind one over Hancock in 1998, its first year back as a program.

“We’re 16-2 at this place,” Lyon said referring to Canyons’ home record. “We can play with anybody.”

Cerritos forced overtime on Adam Sonntag’s 37-yard field goal at the end of regulation..

But the Falcons’ defense--the strength of the team--was shot by the end of the fourth quarter. Major Caldwell scored his third touchdown, a six-yard run with 1:37 to play, to give Canyons a short-lived 33-30 lead.

The Cougars ran 46 times for 199 yards. Arrington had 97 in 18 carries, while Caldwell and Marquis Brignac chipped in 62 and 37 yards, respectively.

Bauer was efficient (13 of 23 passing for 154 yard and two touchdowns) and did not make any big mistakes. Canyons, which rallied from a 30-18 third-quarter deficit, also recovered three Cerritos fumbles.

In all, the conditions were ripe for an upset. The game was originally scheduled for Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. but Canyons postponed in deference to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and then added a bit of gamesmanship by scheduling it at 1 p.m.

Mazzotta pushed for the game to go on, fearing the Falcons may be penalized down the line when it comes to bowl consideration. Instead, they got burned on a sunny, 87-degree day.

“The thing is, we haven’t been very consistent this year,” he said. “We played a good football team. They have good, skilled running backs. They just beat us.”