Football upset by ELAC

Decimated by injuries and turnovers throughout the entire game, the Lancers football team lost its second consecutive game Saturday in a 38-30 defeat to East Los Angeles College.

Third-string quarterback Trevor Hampton was forced to start the second half after second stringer Elijah Turner injured his elbow and starting quarterback Dejon Williams was limited to one quarter of play because of a lingering shoulder injury.

“There’s always a significant uphill battle when you lose two quarterbacks and your starting running back,” head coach Fred Fimbres said. “Our guys stepped up and continued to play to the end. Of course we would have liked a better outcome but the opportunities were there.”

Turner started the game for the Lancers and passed for two first-quarter touchdowns before leaving the game in the second quarter with an elbow injury. Turner’s first touchdown, a 94-yard screen pass to running back Timothy Jones was the second longest passing play in PCC history, just behind the record TD pass of 96 yards.

“We just fell short,” freshman linebacker Sean Cowell said. “We gave up a lot of big plays on defense and a lot of missed assignments, but we’ll definitely learn and correct our mistakes after watching film.”

Despite injuries to their first and second-string quarterbacks, the freshman duo of Turner and Trevor Hampton kept the Lancers close. Turner would finish the game with 158 yards on 7-for-10 passing, but did not return in the second half.

Although the Lancers scored the most points in a game since 2012, the defense was unable to contain the Huskies running game, allowing the Huskies starting running back Randolph Will to rush for 187 yards on 21 carries, including three touchdowns.

Trailing 28-14 entering the second half and down two quarterbacks, the Lancers were forced to go with their third-string quarterback Hampton. Although Hampton recorded three untimely interceptions, the 6-foot-3 La Quinta High graduate helped the Lancers rally back in the second half with two touchdowns.

“Trevor came in kind of nervous but he pulled through and made some big plays for us,” Cowell added.

In the third quarter, Hampton and the ever consistent J. Turner Jackson helped pull the Lancers within eight points after connecting on an 82-yard touchdown pass. Despite the injuries at the quarterback position, Jackson finished with a game-high 148 receiving yards on six receptions. Jackson also added 99 yards in three kick returns and 32 yards in four punt returns.

“Despite all of the injuries we did well with our teammates stepping up when their numbers were called,” freshman defensive lineman Patrick Webb said. “We need to focus on what we do best on defense and that’s swarm the ball.”

With the upset, the Lancers dropped to 2-4 overall on the season, while ELAC improved to 2-3. The Lancers host Ventura College on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Robinson Stadium. The game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.