Big Plays Fuel Warriors Offense in Road Victory at Palomar

ESCONDIDO, Calif. --- El Camino College has started the 2023 season undefeated after two weeks following Saturday's 35-24 victory over Palomar at Escondido High School.

The Warriors (2-0) opened the season with two straight wins for the first time since 2017 and utilized the big play to do it as all five of their touchdowns were of 24 yards or more including four scoring plays of 50 yards or more.

Wide receiver Bryant Williams led the offense as he hauled in seven catches for 175 yards and a touchdown including an 84-yard strike from Champion Edwards. Marceese Yetts accounted for two scores as he scampered into the end-zone on a 24-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter and then reeled in a 58-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

Despite the big plays, the Warriors found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter as the Comets (1-1) scored 17 unanswered points to take a 24-21 lead with 12:49 left in the game.

But a 55-yard TD pass from Dayton Tafoya to Joshua Lorick gave the Warriors the lead back with 11:10 left and then Amani Givens broke away for a 66-yard TD run with 1:54 to ice the game for ECC and secure the victory.

The Warriors pulled out the win despite the Comets winning the time of possession battle (37:22 – 22:18) and running 23 more plays than the Warriors. Much of that had to do with the Warriors dominating the battle in air yards as the team had 379 passing yards while also averaging 8.2 yards per play compared to the Comets' 4.9 yards per play.

With the win, the Warriors now hold a 14-8 record over the Comets since the first meeting between the teams in 1993. The Warriors have won two straight over the Comets and have a 5-1 overall record against Palomar since Gifford Lindheim took over the reins of the program in 2016.

The Warriors will wrap up their non-conference schedule on Saturday afternoon as they hit the road once more to take on Riverside at 1 p.m.