FULLERTON HOUNDS HUSKIES

The No. 5 FC football squad had a big day at home on Saturday afternoon pummeling East Los Angeles College 51-0.

The undefeated Hornets had something to prove this week after moving down in the rankings from the No. 4 spot to the 5th in the CCCSIA poll.

In the opening kickoff, Christian Steward ran the ball back 50-yards to the ELAC 39. The Hornets quickly pounced scoring in eight plays that ended with a 1-yard run by quarterback Brandon Nunez. Jonathan Fobear's PAT kick was good at 11:16 in the first quarter.

On the second play of the Husky's first drive, Branson Tita-Nwa intercepted Frank Alvarez's pass and took it to the ELAC 26. It did not take long for Brandon Nunez to take it into the endzone from a yard out. Fobear knocked in the extra point giving FC a 14-0 lead at 9:22.

Fullerton's third offensive drive of the game resulted in a 42-yard field goal by Jonathan Fobear giving the Hornets a 17-0 lead with 1:16 left in the first quarter.

After a blocked punt by Jordan Tate, FC QB Brandon Nunez struck again in the second quarter. This time it was his arm doing the damage as he hit Leland Smith in stride for a 15-yard touchdown. Fobear's point-after kick put Fullerton on top 24-0 at 9:36.

As the second half began to wind down, East LA was pushing closer to Fullerton's endzone sitting on the 20-yardline. The threat was averted when Branson Tita-Nwa produced his second interception of the day picking the ball off in the endzone and taking it all the way back 85 yards to ELAC's 15-yardline. Two plays later, the Brandon Nunez ran the ball in from 5-yards out. Fobear's PAT kick was good giving Fullerton a 31-0 lead at 1:47 in the second quarter.

With 2 seconds left in the half, the Huskies were trying their best to get some points on the board with a 46-yard field goal attempt. Things kept going FC's way as Jeremy Naborne knifed in to block the ball. Quintin Ashford then swooped in picking the ball up from the turf and ran the ball in for a touchdown. By the time halftime rolled around, the Hornets were in total control of the game 38-0.

The third quarter saw two more FC touchdowns. At 9:06 Leland Smith fought off three ELAC tacklers for a 56-yard TD after catching a pass from Brandon Nunez. With just over 2 minutes left in the third quarter, Jonathan Sewell powered in a TD run from a yard out.

In the fourth quarter, the Hornets played strong defense preserving the shutout, while the offense ran the clock out for the victory.

QB Brandon Nunez had another huge game for the Hornets with 5 touchdowns (3 rushing / 2 passing). He ran for 33 yards on 7 carries and threw for 142 yards (11-14) with no interceptions. Michael Vakapuna had 42 yards on 4 carries. Wideout Leland Smith had a breakout game with 3 catches for 75 yards with 2 TDs.

Defensively, Branson Tita-Nwa stood out with 2 interceptions, had 3 tackles (2 solo), and a sack. Nick Doane led the way in tackles with 6 (3 solo) and had 1 sack.

Up Next: Fullerton (3-0 overall) will host another game at Sherbeck Field next Saturday, September 23rd when Mt. San Jacinto College comes to town. Kickoff is at noon.

*Photo by Matt Brown