Warriors Set to Face Riverside in CCCAA State Playoffs

For the first time in seven years, the Warriors will be in the hunt for the California Community College Athletic Association Football State Championship as they take on Riverside Saturday night in the CCCAA Southern California Regional Playoffs.

THE DETAILS

Location: Wheelock Stadium; Riverside, CA
Time: 6 p.m.
Admission: $12 General; $8 students with valid ID
Parking: $5

HOW TO WATCH

If you cannot attend the game in person, a free live video stream will be available through the following link, courtesy of Riverside athletics.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvgGOcpFXSsRM5Dj8r00C-A

THE MATCHUP

The Warriors enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in Southern California after winning the National Division, Central League with an 8-2 overall record and 5-0 mark in league play.*

The Tigers are the No. 2 seed in the region after posting an undefeated 10-0* record, winning the National Division, Southern League crown.

*-- Both the Warriors and Tigers suffered defeats to Fullerton College during the season but were awareded 1-0 victories after Fullerton had to forfeit the victories due to CCCAA infractions.

BACK IN THE HUNT

Saturday's game marks the Warriors first game in the CCCAA Southern California Regional Playoffs since Nov. 19, 2011 when they drew the No. 4 seed and faced the No. 1 Mount San Antonio Mounties in the National Bowl, an SCFA Semifinal game. The Warriors would fall to the Mounties 34-7 in that game.

REMATCH

Both teams faced each other in Week 1 of the 2018 regular season. The Tigers came out ahead 34-7 but only held a 13-0 lead at halftime. The Warriors offense could not find the end zone however until the fourth quarter, which was too late to mount a comeback. The Tigers outgained the Warriors 559-296 in total offense. Both defenses got after the quarterback, posting five sacks apiece.

ABOUT THE TEAMS

El Camino Warriors: After dropping their first two games of the season, the Warriors bounced back in a big way to finish 8-2 on the year and undefeated in league play following the Fullerton forfeits. They bagged their first league title since 2008 and first outright league crown since 2005.

Quarterbacks Grant Ferrauilo and Aaron Thomas were a solid combo for ECC during the year. Ferrauilo threw for 1,583 yards and 19 touchdowns while Thomas pass for 833 yards and five scores.

Trevon Clark led the receiving corps with 921 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, hauling in 53 catches on the year.

The multi-faceted running game saw six different running backs carry the bulk of the load en route to 1,228 rushing yards on the year.

Defensively, linebackers Justin Martz and Quinn Perry led the way with 62 and 61 tackles respectively. Martz led the team with seven quarterback sacks, 14.5 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles while Perry added five sackes and 9.5 TFL. Isaiah Lemos led the state with seven interceptions on the year.

Riverside Tigers: Sophomore Stone Smartt was a stellar presence for the Tigers at quarterback. He ranks first in in the state in passer efficiency (188.4), fourth in completion percentage (65.3), and is tied for fourth in the state in passing touchdowns (26). Additionally, he has thrown for 2,283 yards and is averaging 10.4 yards-per-attempt.

The Tigers receivers have also had an excellent year in 2018. Sophomore Tyrone Marshall leads the Tigers in receptions (39), receptions-per-game (3.9), total receiving yards (631), and yards-per-game (63.1). Freshman tandem Jammal Houston and Tyler Kennedy act as the number two and three receivers, respectively. They have each tallied 20 receptions and have combined for 889 receiving yards.