Warriors Edged by Mt. SAC in Overtime Thriller

WALNUT, Calif. --- No. 6 El Camino College overcame an early deficit but fell just short of advancing in a 42-40 loss to No. 3 Mount San Antonio in five overtimes in the SCFA Quarterfinals on Saturday night at Hilmer Lodge Stadium.

The Warriors overcame an early 17-0 hole and then kicked the game-tying field goal as time expired in regulation to force overtime against the Mounties. But after five extra periods, it was the Mounties that emerged victorious and moved on to the next round of the playoffs.

Jaden Moore and Damonte Bias spearheaded the Warriors vaunted rushing attack yet again as both running backs rushed for more than 100 yards in the game. The Warriors outgained the Mounties 253-173 on the ground in Saturday's game and was a big catalyst in the comeback.

The game started off on a bad note for ECC though as the Mounties scored 17 straight points to take a 17-0 lead in the first half.

But the Warriors clawed back into the game with two rushing touchdowns from Bias, one from Azeon Nelson and two passing touchdowns by Andrew Maushardt to pull within three points.

The defense also came up with big plays to keep the deficit manageable as Khaliq Johnson intercepted a pass from Mounties' quarterback Hunter Herrera in the end zone with four seconds left in the first half to keep the game at 17-7 at the break.

The Warriors would score on their first drive of the second half to pull within three and then the teams traded scores with Brandon Jones making a spectacular catch, falling out of the end zone on an 18-yard TD pass from Maushardt to make the game 31-28 Mounties with 12 minutes left in regulation.

The defense then continued to step up for ECC as they forced punts on the Mounties' last two drives of regulation, giving the Warriors one last chance to win or send the game to overtime.

With 2:17 left on the clock, the Warriors started their last drive on their own 20 but drove 76 yards in 2:11 to get to the Mt. SAC 4-yard line with six seconds left. The Warriors ran a quick pass to try and win the game but came up empty, setting up a 21-yard field-goal attempt by Miranda with two seconds left. The sophomore kicker drilled the kick and sent the game into overtime.

Both teams would score touchdowns in the first extra period to make the score 38-38. In the second overtime, the Warriors had the ball first and attempted a 37-yard field goal to take the lead. But Miranda's kick hit the upright to keep the score tied and give Mt. SAC the advantage, needing only a field goal to win.

But the Warriors defense again came up with big plays, moving the Mounties backwards to the 30 on tackles from Dayton Norris, Max Amasio and Johnson. The Mounties' 47-yard field goal attempt fell short and the teams moved on to a third overtime where the format switched to two-point conversion attempts at the three-yard line.

The teams were tied 40-40 after the fourth overtime and the Mounties had the ball first in the fifth. They converted their attempt to go up 42-40.

On the Warriors' try, Moore took the hand-off to the right but was stopped at the 1-yard line, securing the win for Mt. SAC and ending ECC's season.

The Warriors finish the year with an 8-3 overall record. It is the third straight winning season for the Warriors with at least seven victories and first eight-win season since 2018.