Warriors Rushing Attack Helps Secure Sixth Straight Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar (4-4) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
|
El Camino (6-2) | 7 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 42 |
TORRANCE, Calif. – No. 10 El Camino College netted more than half its total yards on the ground en route to a 42-35 victory over No. 16 Palomar Saturday night at Murdock Stadium.
The Warriors (6-2) piled up 267 yards rushing on Saturday night with Taz Tauaese leading the charge with 133 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a 72-yard scamper to help ECC hold off the visiting Comets (4-4).
Aaron Thomas handled the bulk of the duty at quarterback for ECC and went 11-for-19 for 174 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Quinn Perry led the way with six tackles including 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He also forced two of the three fumbles caused by the ECC defense. Isaiah Lemos recorded his sixth interception of the season to kill a Palomar drive deep in Warriors territory.
The game was subdued in the first half as ECC held a 14-7 advantage after 30 minutes. In the third, the Warriors erupted for 21 points and led 35-14 as they headed into the final quarter. But the Comets would not go away, cutting the Warriors lead to 35-27 with 8:35 left in regulation.
The Warriors answered with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive kept alive by a fake punt from Perry, who took off for a 22-yard run on 4th-and-5 from the ECC 23 to keep the ball in the Warriors' hands. Six plays later, Jeff Hansen capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors back up by two possessions.
But the Comets would not go away, scoring on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Connor Curry to Logan Gamble. The team would convert the two-point conversion to get within seven with 1:51 remaining.
The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Warriors at the Palomar 47. The Warriors would run off 1:49 before punting the ball back to the Comets. Curry's final attempt sailed over Malachi Russell to end the game and secure ECC's sixth straight win and keep the Warriors unbeaten in conference.
The Warriors will return to action Saturday afternoon to host Fullerton. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.