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Cerritos College football team put a damper on PCC’s Homecoming celebrations, handing the Lancers their third conference defeat 33-21 Saturday at Robinson Stadium, as PCC’s 1977 national championship team watched.Quarterback David Pittman, who has been playing out of the stratosphere the entire season, finally showed he was mortal, throwing four interceptions on the day to help the Falcons (4-5) hold on for their first victory in Mission Conference Play.

It didn’t help having his second favorite target Marcus Anderson and lineman Manu Tonga on crutches.

The line, anchored by center Latu Tupou, provided room for Gabe Tuata to make defenders miss and gave Pittman, who finished 34 for 49, for 349 yards passing, time to pick apart the Falcon secondary. David Reed went highest on a fade route in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown to finish the drive.

But that was the last time they would see the end zone in the first half.

Cerritos took the lead 14-7 midway through the second quarter when quarterback A.J. Toscano took the Falcons 76-yards, with the help of a mammoth offensive line and the physical running of Duane Bowen. Toscano hooked up with Sheldon Smith on a corner route to cap the 12-play drive.

Late in the third quarter PCC (6-3) began to move the ball downfield and looked as if they would score, until safety Juan Lopez stepped in front of Owen Dixon to pick off Pittman’s pass at the Falcon eleven, which killed the drive and proved to be a harbinger.

Pittman was intercepted three times, twice in the fourth quarter, two of which stopped scoring drives in Falcon territory.

With Anderson watching from the sideline, and the Falcon secondary focusing on Reed, Pittman turned to receiver Robert Maxie, who scored on a one yard pass and followed up with a 45-yard TD on back-to-back possessions, both times pulling PCC within six.

But each time the Lancers gained momentum, the Falcons took it away scoring on back-to-back drives of their own. Bowen followed 370 lb tackle Anthony Hanes for a one yard score with under eight minutes left in the game.

On Cerritos’s following possession, Toscano found receiver Craig Bell for a huge 36-yard gain to PCC’s 2. Moments later it was 245 lb Junior Tivao getting behind Haynes for the score, giving the Falcons the lead for good.

Reed set PCC’s single-game record for catches. He tallied 15 catches and finished with 167 yards.

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