Huskies ends Season with 31-0 Shutout over Glendale

MONTEREY PARK, CA — No. 4-ranked (Southern California American Division Poll) East Los Angeles College ended its season with a 31-0 American Division Metro League win at Glendale Community College today.

ELAC will not compete in the post season and ends its season as the runner-up team in the Metro League. With the elimination of the American Division High Desert Bowl, the lone Metro League bowl-bid went to champion Santa Ana College (7-3, 6-0). The Dons will play at San Diego Mesa College (8-2) in the Southern California Bowl. The American Championship Bowl will be Southwestern College (8-2) at Allan Hancock College (8-2).

The Huskies (7-3, 5-1), however, muscled to its first shutout win since football returned to ELAC in 1998.

“The guys came out and played today,” said ELAC Head Coach Bobby Godinez. “We preached all week that we were going to throw a shutout and we got that.” Glendale shutout ELAC 41-0 in 2014. The Huskies were kind enough to return the favor.

ELAC totaled 404 yards against Glendale while the Husky defense held the Vaqueros to 108 total yards.

The Huskies scored four first half touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Phillip Tran (San Jose / Archbishop Mitty High School) scored a 9-yard touchdown run 3-1/2 minutes into the game in ELAC’s opening 6-play, 80-yard drive. Tran scored his fourth touchdown on the ground, one each, in four-straight games.

Three minutes later, sophomore running back Lavell Thompson (South Gate HS) scored his fifth touchdown run of the season, a 3-yarder and ELAC led 14-0 with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter.

The 5-play 24-yard drive was set up from a Glendale fumble recovered by sophomore defensive back Qua'D Cheatham (Newark, NJ / Barringer HS) who ran 13 yards to the Glendale 24-yard line. ELAC sophomore defensive lineman Amarray Jay (Durham, NC / Northern HS) and freshman linebacker Garrett Rogers (Don Lugo HS) sacked Glendale quarterback Guy Gibbs, who fumbled.

Freshman quarterback Paul Herrera (Aspire Pacific Academy) threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Garrison Harris at the 10:54 mark of the third quarter in a 6-play, 75-yard drive and ELAC led 21-0.

The fourth Husky touchdown was a Cheatham 12-yard interception return 59 seconds before halftime for a 28-0 Husky lead. In the third quarter, Cheatham scored another touchdown from an interception, a 54-yarder, but it was called back because he dived into the end zone and was penalized.

Four plays later, ELAC settled for a 36-yard field goal from freshman kicker Hector Gomez (Roosevelt HS). Gomez connected on 41 PATs this season and ended the regular season 11th best in the state.

Husky stats

The Huskies had five sacks and ended the season with 36, 5th-best in the state, 1.5 each today from Rogers and Jay, and, one each from sophomore defensive lineman Paula Kava (Honolulu, HI / Saint Louis HS) and freshman linebacker Alexander Guerra (Brea HS). Rogers led the Huskies with six this season. Sophomore defensive lineman Trestan Kueneman (Chino HS) totaled 5.5 sacks this season and sophomore defensive lineman Sione Vea (Honolulu, HI / Kalani HS) had five.

Tran went 7-of-11 for 103 yards in less than one quarter and he left play injured. Herrera went 9-of-22 for 95 yards and one touchdown pass. Sophomore wide receiver Karon Cooper (Locke HS) led the Huskies in reception yardage with six catches for 95 yards. With just two receptions, Harris totaled 35 yards and a touchdown for an average of 17.5 yards per reception.

On the ground, Thompson led ELAC for the fourth time this season, this time with seven carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. Freshman running back Kameron Johnson (Monrovia HS) rushed for 41 yards on six carries and sophomore defensive back Toure Wallace (Chicago Vocational HS) rushed 36 yards on five carries.

Adding to Cheatham’s two interceptions was Kueneman who had one with an 11-yard return. Sophomore wide receiver Deontavius Hall (Alabama / Central HS) returned one punt return for 17 yards.

Rogers had a game-high seven tackles, four of them solo and sophomore defensive back Aubrey Mosley-Laughlin (Monrovia HS) had four. Three Huskies had three tackles each, sophomore defensive back Trevon Bordrick (DE / Howard HS), freshman defensive back Chad Earle (SC / Seneca HS) and Jay.

Follow ELAC Athletics at http://athletics.elac.edu/landing/index and ELAC Huskies Athletics on Facebook.

submitted by Tadzio Garcia