Vanessa Avina
The Pierce College Brahmas got their first victory of the season Saturday, beating East Los Angeles College 28-9 and bringing Pierce to 1-3 for the season and 1-0 in conference play.
The Brahmas came into Saturday’s game 0-3, but two days before the game, coach Efrain Martinez said what he wants when the team takes the field.
“We need to execute more. We are young and we need the offensive on the field more and the defensive less,” he said.
Martinez also added, “A lot of pressure is on the team right now.”
In Saturday’s game, Pierce scored first with a one-yard touchdown run by Taylor Budd. Instead of kicking a field goal, they went for a two- point conversion and made it, giving Pierce an 8-0 lead.
The Brahmas were not done scoring because the defense then forced East Los Angeles to go three and out for their second-straight possession. It took two plays by the offensive and 49 seconds, bringing the score to 14-0. Budd threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Davis to give the team a two-touchdown lead, but they missed the two-point conversion.
East L.A. got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when quarterback Pedro Velasquez ran a touchdown, but they missed the kick, bringing the score to 14-6.
A turning point in the game came towards the end of the first half of the game when running-back Mark Carr fumbled the ball. East Los Angeles had the ball, but the Brahmas’ defense only allowed them a field goal to make it 14-9.
The third quarter started with the Brahmas making a 79-yard drive. Brahma running-back Joe Sims ran a touchdown to further up the score, 20-9, followed by a two-point conversion, bringing the score to 22-9.
With a little more than two minutes left in the third quarter, punter Kenny Davis kicked a ball to East L.A. that the Brahmas recovered, and shortly afterward Davis caught a touchdown pass from Budd to bring the score to 28-9. Early in the fourth quarter, East L.A. quarterback Velasquez made a run to the end zone and made a one-yard pass for the touchdown, bringing the score to 22-15.
After the game, Coach Efrain Martinez said, “I was not happy at all. Happy for the victory, but too many mistakes. They are not performing as they should.”
Referring to their first win of the season, quarterback Budd said, “I feel that we got it out of the way.”
Wide receiver Davis spoke about how he felt his performance was in the game.
“I didn’t play to my potential,” said Davis, who finished the game with 126 receiving yards and a total of 126 all-purpose yards.
East L.A. coach Lynn Cain said Pierce “had a good game plan.”
The Brahmas’ next opponent will be West Los Angeles College. Martinez said they are his favorite to beat in the conference.
But he cautioned, “Play like this and we’ll lose.
Kenny Davis, wide receiver, dodges the opposing team as he attempts a touchdown during the Saturday-night home game. Pierce College defeated East Los Angeles College, 28-9, for their first win of the season. (Aisha Ahal)