ELAC moves to big game after 47-14 win

MONTEREY PARK, CA — The No. 5-ranked East Los Angeles College Huskies football team controls its own destiny. Win out and they advance to its first bowl game in five years.

Their first hurdle takes place on Saturday, Oct. 29 at No. 8 West Los Angeles College at 1 p.m. in an American Conference Metro League showdown.

The Metro League’s only undefeated teams ELAC, 5-2 overall and 3-0 in league play, and West LA (4-3, 3-0) will duke it out for a leg up on the championship and automatic bowl berth.

If the Huskies defeat West LA, then showdown No. 2 follows on Nov. 5 when ELAC hosts Pasadena City College (3-3, 2-1). The Huskies have a bye next week while West LA hosts Los Angeles Southwest College (0-6, 0-0).

The Huskies got by their worst enemy, their own penalties, and defeated LA Southwest 47-14 at Weingart Stadium today.

ELAC totaled 158 yards from 20 penalties. The Huskies have amassed 919 yards in penalties this season, second worst in the state, something they need to control if they want to win a league title and a bowl game.

Huskies defense, however, held the Cougars to zero yards rushing in the first half.

The ELAC offense totaled 269 first-half yards, 161 on the ground and 108 yards passing from ELAC freshman quarterback Jonathan Santos (South East High School) who threw four touchdown passes (10-of-18).

Santos has passed for 18 touchdowns to date, fifth best in the state.

The first two of Santos’ aerial touchdowns were to sophomore wide receiver Cemaj Douglas (Dorsey HS), seven and 21 yarders in the first quarter.

Santos threw two in the second, a 33-yarder to sophomore wide receiver Khamren Davenport (Frederick Douglas HS) and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Douglas. Davenport has scored seven touchdowns for 42 points this season. He is the leading Husky scorer.

Sandwiched in between the second quarter ELAC scores was a Southwest freshman quarterback Jorge Amaya (Sotomayor HS) 56-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Ge’von Moore (Fremont HS).

ELAC added more reserves on the field in the second half, which included sophomore quarterback Levi Wells (South El Monte HS) at the helm.

Wells threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Kenny Allen (Fairfax HS) with 1:28 remaining in the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Wells escaped a sack to throw a perfect pass to freshman wide receiver Branden Peterson (Las Vegas, NV / Desert Oasis HS) who bolted for a 74-yard touchdown with 13:08 left in the game.

Also in the fourth, sophomore kicker Vicente Luis Juan (LA Wilson HS), who returned to action this week, connected on a 42-yard field goal, a confidence booster.

Vicente Luis Juan has scored a season total 35 points from PATS (20-of-22) and field goals (5-of-8), second most points among the Huskies.

Wells, who has thrown three touchdowns in two straight games, was 6-of-13 for 146 yards.

Rushing in double figures for the Huskies included freshman Carlos Nolberto (Amino South HS) with 87 yards, sophomore running back Shiloh Jordan (Owings Mills, MD / New Town HS) with 56 yards and a long of 30, freshman running back Marquis Arnold  (Seneca, SC / Seneca HS) with 42 and sophomore running back Shaquille Shelton (Crenshaw HS) with 27.

Douglas received five receptions for 52 yards and three touchdowns while Nolberto hauled in two passes for 43 yards.

ELAC freshman defensive lineman Sione Vea (Honolulu, HI / Kalani HS) and sophomore cornerback Cinwon Whitehead (Hampton, GA / Lovejoy HS) led the Huskies on defense each with six tackles, five unassisted.

Vea sacked LA Southwest sophomore quarterback Daquan Richardson (Dominguez HS) for a safety at the 04:33 mark of the fourth quarter. Whitehead electrified the crowd with a 68-yard punt return.

Six Huskies each had three tackles, freshman safety Trevon Bordrick (Wilmington, DE / Howard HS of Tech), sophomore safety Joey Knowles (John Muir HS) and freshman wide receiver Aubrey Mosley-Laughlin (Monrovia HS).

Also sophomore linebacker Kevin Gomez (Roosevelt HS), freshman linebacker Daniel Belton (South East HS) and sophomore running back Vaquel Junious Brown (Amino South HS).

Freshman safety Ryan Ausbrooks (Sterling Heights, MI / Henry Ford II HS) had a quarterback sack for the Huskies for a LA Southwest seven-yard loss and recovered a fumble.

In other Metro League action West LA won a 54-26 game vs. El Camino College Compton Center (0-7, 0-3). Pasadena City had a bye and Santa Ana College (2-5, 2-1) won 24-17 vs. Glendale Community College (0-6, 0-2).

story submitted by Tadzio Garcia