Mt. SAC Holds Off Cerritos in Home Opener, 21–17

On a very warm late-summer evening in the City of Walnut, many filled the seats at Hilmer Lodge Stadium for Mt. San Antonio College’s home opener against Cerritos College.

The Mounties gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about, improving to 2–0 with a hard-fought 21–17 victory. Mt. SAC scored twice in the opening quarter, beginning with Jamel Sly’s 15-yard touchdown run. Quarterback JP Mialovski later connected with Jordyn Harris for a 21-yard score to give the Mounties a 14–7 lead.

Cerritos narrowed the margin to 14–10 before halftime and intercepted a late pass in the end zone to stop another Mt. SAC scoring threat. Although the replay showed the ball hit the ground but it was not reviewed.

In the second half, Mialovski found Harris again for a seven-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, extending the lead to 21–10. Cerritos answered with a fourth-quarter touchdown but could not complete the comeback.

Mt. SAC finished with 374 yards of total offense and 26 first downs. Harris led the receiving corps with eight catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns, while Elijah Tehe and Sly combined for 138 rushing yards.

On a Southern California Football Association scoreboard filled largely with lopsided results, the four-point battle between Mt. SAC and Cerritos was one of only a handful of truly competitive games played Saturday night.