Cerritos Gets a Kick Out of Bakersfield

In a sloppy, but entertaining season opener between two top junior college football teams in Bakersfield and Cerritos, it was left up to a kicker to decide the outcome.

Adam Sonntag’s 36-yard field goal with 4:09 to play proved the difference in a 21-19 victory for Cerritos over the Renegades on Saturday night at Cerritos College.

“I got a little spooked only because Adam was trying to kick the ball a little too hard,” said Cerritos Coach Frank Mazzotta, in his 24th season. “On the first kickoff, I could tell that he was pulling the ball a little bit. I’m telling you, I was praying on the sideline.”

Bakersfield, ranked No. 2 in the state, missed an opportunity to retake the lead when Preston Wahl’s 37-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Phillip Perry with 1:28 left.

It capped a mistake-prone night for the Renegades, who lost three fumbles and were called for several penalties.

“That was a dogfight,” Mazzotta said. “The key thing was we kept our poise and composure.”

Bakersfield rallied early in the fourth quarter.

Robert Thomas’ 16-yard scoring run pulled the Renegades within 18-13 with Thomas failing to score on the two-point conversion.

Eighteen seconds later, Bakersfield’s Shelton Croney stripped quarterback Mike Harrison of the ball. Safety James McGill picked up the ball and raced 30 yards for a touchdown, giving the Renegades a 19-18 lead.

Cerritos did little on offense, but two big pass plays from Harrison to receiver Chris Chatman were enough for a halftime advantage.

In the second quarter, Chatman got a step on Bakersfield cornerback Jerry Mathershed on a streak pattern and hauled in a 43-yard touchdown pass. But Sonntag’s missed extra point left the Renegades with a 7-6 lead.

With 1:55 remaining in the half, Harrison found a wide-open Chatman for a 37-yard touchdown pass and a 12-7 lead.

In the third quarter, Donte Carter fumbled a pitch from quarterback Kevin Bryan and Cerritos’ Armando Calderon recovered at the Bakersfield 15.

Two plays later, Harrison ran in untouched from nine yards to extend the Falcon lead to 18-13.