FOOTBALL: #1 HORNETS KEEP COUGARS AT BAY

The Hornet football team traveled up to Cougar Country to take on the College of the Canyons on Saturday and won in a shootout 42-28.

Ranked #1 in the state and #3 in the nation, Fullerton College took care of business holding off a talented Canyons squad that kept the game close until the end of the third quarter.
The Hornets scored a touchdown on their first possession going seven plays for 67 yards scoring on a 7-yard pass from Kane Wilson to Justin Manyweather (12:59 1Q).

The Cougars answered back scoring on a long drive of their own (11 plays 82 yards) on a 16-yard pass from Andrew Brito to Desean Holmes (6:55 1Q).

FC broke up the 7-7 tie scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter. Tight end Jordan Huffman caught a 17-yard pass from QB Ladarius Skelton (11:30 2Q), and QB Wilson hit Markus Grossman for a 17-yard strike (1:10 2Q).

An interception by Skelton with 17 second left in the half gave COC a chance to grab three points on a 43-yard field goal by Louis Eusebi.

Up 21-10 at the start of the second half, the Hornets let the Cougars back in the game as COC hit on a 56-yard TD pass from Brito to Ethan Lazarek (PAT failed).

With COC back in the game at 21-16, Fullerton hit back. Kane Wilson hit Markus Grossman for a 35-yard one-handed grab putting the Hornets deep into Cougar territory. From there, FC was forced to go for a field goal, which Estrada hit from 28 yards. An offside call on Canyons gave FC the opportunity for a fresh set of downs in the red zone. Two plays later, Wilson took the snap and ran the ball up the middle from the 5-yardline for a touchdown.

FC added to the lead two series later on a long 47-yard bomb from Wilson to Robert Johnson.

The Cougar's Brito struck again hitting Holmes for another deep shot (29 yards) to the FC end zone. The PAT failed again making the score 35-28 (5:00 3Q).

The FC offense exploded again at 3:43 in the third with the running game hitting pay dirt with Gerald Hulett grabbing big gains on the ground during the drive and then scoring from three yards out.
Mental mistakes and Fullerton's grinding style eventually overtook the Cougars. The Hornets went into the fourth quarter owning a 42-28 lead. The defense was strong keeping COC out of the end zone, and the offense ran the ball with success that burned enough time off of the clock for the Hornet's third win of the season.

Up Next: The #1 Hornets (3-0 overall) will host #6 Mt. San Antonio College at Yorba Linda High's Nathan Shapell Stadium on Saturday, September 23rd. Kickoff is at 1:00 pm. Come on out and support your Hornets!

*Photos by Rich Lawce

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