Huge Second Quarter Elevates Football Past Southwestern in Season Opener

TORRANCE, Calif. --- El Camino College hit the gridiron for the first time in 2023 and bulldozed its way past visiting Southwestern, 49-13, on Saturday night in Featherstone Field at Murdock Stadium.

The Warriors led 35-0 at halftime thanks to a scorching hot second quarter and never looked back. The offense put up 521 yards of total offense while the defense held the Jaguars to just 31 yards rushing on 34 attempts.

Dayton Tafoya and Champion Edwards combined to throw for 279 yards and two touchdowns while Marceese Yetts led a prolific running attack, gaining 77 yards on just four attempts. He scored a 52-yard rushing touchdown and averaged 19.3 yards per carry on the night. He was one of 14 players who contributed to a rushing attack that posted 242 yards on the ground.

On defense, sophomore DJ Morgan led the way with six tackles while Jerry Early had a stellar debut for ECC, recording three sacks en route to four total tackles, all of them for a loss. Fuller Cohen also recorded an interception in the end zone for the defense in the Warriors huge second quarter.

The game started off calmly as both teams possessed the ball twice in the opening quarter and chewed up most of the clock. The Warriors mounted an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead but things did not go completely off the rails until the Warriors got the ball back as time expired in the first quarter.

On the very first play of the second quarter, Tafoya connected with Lucas Reynoso on a 52-yard bomb to take a 14-0 lead. A few drives later, the Warriors defense made it 20-0 as the Warriors converged on Jaguars quarterback Aleks Wojcik, whose throw was deflected in the end zone by Lettington Brown and Cohen parked himself under the loose ball to haul it into his arms for the touchdown.

The special teams then got in on the action as Justin Evans blocked a Jaguars punt that went out the back of the end zone for a safety and a 22-0 lead. By the end of the quarter, the Warriors scored 22 points in the span of 7:18 and 28 points in the second quarter alone to essentially put the game away.

History was also made on Saturday night as Gabriella De La Cruz became the first female player in the Warriors football history to score a point as she went 2-for-4 on extra points.

Saturday's meeting marked the fifth all time between the Warriors and Jaguars and first meeting since the South County Bowl on Dec. 4, 1999. The Warriors have now won four straight meetings dating back to 1988 and Saturday's win was their second largest margin of victory over the Jaguars since their 49-7 win 24 years ago.

The Warriors 49 points on Saturday night also marked the most points they have scored in a season home opener since they scored a 41-21 win over L.A. Southwest in 2016, the first ever game played at the new Murdock Stadium.

The Warriors will now hit the road for two straight weeks beginning with a matchup against Palomar on Sept. 9 at Escondido High School Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.