Incredible Rally Falls Short In PCC Football’s Season Opener

The Pasadena City College football team didn’t win in head coach Thom Kaumeyer’s debut Saturday night, but what it did do was show heart. The Lancers nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback from 21 points down late in the fourth quarter, but lost the 2015 season opener against El Camino, 31-23, at Redondo Union High Saturday night.

The Lancers trailed 31-10 with less than five minutes remaining, but scored a pair of touchdowns and recovered an onside kick to give themselves a final chance. PCC drove to the El Camino 18, but ran out of time.

Showing great resilience despite being sacked 10 times, frosh quarterback Jett Even passed for 280 yards, completing 32 of 58 passes with no interceptions and two touchdowns. He came within one pass of the PCC record for atttempts in a game set by Cesar Hernandez (59) in 2011.

Even gave the Lancers an early 7-0 lead on a 9-yard TD pass to receiver DaiCorri Briscoe. In the fourth quarter after a 51-yard kick return by Trensten Spragling, Even’s passes of 19 yards to Adrian Fonoimoana-Hall and 24 yards to Rasheem Whitfield set up a 1-yard TD run by sophomore running back Justin Carroll with 2:54 left.

Trailing 31-16 after failing on the conversion pass, PCC got the back right back on a fumble by El Camino backup quarterback Blaise Booth. Kendell Jefferson recovered it at the ECC 41. Even again came up with a big play, this time escaping Warriors’ tacklers for a 15-yard run coupled with a personal foul penalty for another 15 yards that gave PCC great field position at the ECC 15.

Following a 13-yard connection to Fonoimoana-Hall, Even lofted a 1-yard scoring pass to linebacker Jayln Williams, who was stationed in the backfield in a red-zone opportunity, with 1:19 left in the game. Placekicker Fray Rodriguez’s extra point kick cut the lead to eight.

The rally continued when kicker/punter Kareem Zeeni came through with a perfectly executed squib touch that squirted through a El Camino player with the onside kick recovered by Lancer Nate Degraffinreaidt.

Even tried to get the Lancers into the endzone one more time as he broke off the team’s longest carry of the night, a 15-yard run to the ECC 44. Time became PCC’s enemy though as his final pass to Ricky Blair for 14 yards ended the game at the Warriors’ 18.

Rodriguez drilled a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter that gave PCC it’s last lead at 10-8. Zeeni punted seven times for a 38.6 yards average, including a 54-yard boot. Even also had a 42-yard punt on a quick kick.

Even, from Tigard High, Oregon, completed passes to 11 different receivers with Whitfield making the most catches (5-for-74 yards).

Defensively, cornerback Evan Alexander led the team with eight tackles while fellow letterman DB Robert Morgan had one interception and a pass breakup. Lineman Jaren Jackson added four tackles, a sack, forced a fumble and had one hurry. Luis Luna blocked an extra point on special teams.

For El Camino, lineman Raymond Lima made four sacks and running back Justin Anyanwu rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

PCC’s home opener is this Saturday, Sept. 12 when the Lancers host Grossmont. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Robinson Stadium.