No. 8 Rustlers look to bounce back in league opener at East Los Angeles

National Central League play gets underway this Saturday (Sep. 28) as No. 8 state-ranked Golden West College travels to East Los Angeles College for a 6 p.m. game. at Weingart Stadium in Monterey Park.

TICKETS | $5 general admission, payable by cash only the day of the game at the gate.

LIVE STREAM | The game will be broadcast live by SportsNetUSA on YouTube. Live play-by-play stats will also be available online at the GWC Athletics website.

RANKINGS | After dropping their first game of the season last week against San Diego Mesa, Golden West fell five spots from No. 3 to No. 8 in this week's California Community College Football Coaches Association (CCCFCA) State Poll. With a 1-2 overall record, East Los Angeles is unranked heading into Saturday's game.

LAST WEEK | In one of the top matchups in state, previous state No. 3-ranked Golden West fell 22-7 against then No. 8 San Diego Mesa.

The GWC offense never really got going as the Olympians limited the Rustlers to 247 yards and intercepted a pair of passes. Golden West fell behind 14-0 before scoring on its final drive of the second quarter.

The Rustlers defense played solid in the second half, holding the Olympians to a pair of field goals. But Golden West's second-half offensive drives all stalled and quarterback Will Burns was sacked in the end zone for a safety.

Burns tossed a 20-yard touchdown to Noah Burdick in the second quarter to account for their lone points of the game.

Quincy Hankins had an impressive game on defense for the Rustlers with 6 tackles, a forced fumble and recovery, as well as an interception near the Golden West goal line that halted a likely San Diego Mesa scoring drive.

ABOUT EAST LOS ANGELES | The Huskies (1-2 overall) have lost two straight games after opening the season with a 34-7 win over Grossmont. East Los Angeles lost a Week 2 battle 40-27 at Allan Hancock and is coming off a 44-3 loss at home to a strong Fullerton squad.

ELAC was held to just 72 yards of total offense while allowing 243 yards rushing to the Hornets.

LAST YEAR | Running back Ralph Ekechi ran for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns while the Golden West defense held off a late East Los Angeles surge to earn a 28-19 victory at home in both teams' National Central League opener.

The Rustlers trailed 10-7 at halftime but outscored the Huskies 21-9 over the final two quarters to pull out the win.

The two squads met in the 2022 Patriotic Bowl for a game that was won by Golden West 32-14 in Huntington Beach.

UP NEXT | The Rustlers travel to Citrus College for a 6 p.m. National Central League game on Oct. 5.