COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Despite Crayton’s 366, El Camino Wins, 51-47

TORRANCE â€”  Estrus Crayton of Rancho Santiago College had 366 all-purpose yards, but the Dons fell short in a 51-47 loss to El Camino in a Mission Conference football game Saturday night at El Camino.

El Camino, the second-ranked team in Southern California, gained 617 yards in total offense, a record against a Rancho Santiago team. El Camino had 315 rushing and another 302 passing.

Rancho Santiago, the fourth-ranked team in Southern California, got 524 yards in total offense, 259 rushing and 265 passing.

Crayton had 174 yards in 24 carries. He needs 32 yards to break the Rancho Santiago College career rushing record. He has gained 1,752 in his 13-game career.

El Camino (4-0, 2-0 in conference play) took a 44-27 lead on a five-yard touchdown run by Rod Harper with 11:21 left.

Crayton took the ensuing kickoff and dashed 95 yards for a touchdown to trim the lead to 44-33. But El Camino came back to score in five plays. The drive was capped by a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rod Harvey to Marquis Owens to give the Warriors a 51-33 lead.

Rancho Santiago countered with Crayton again, this time with a 75-yard scoring run on the first play after his 25-yard kickoff return. He had four kick returns for 163 yards, plus 174 rushing and 29 receiving.

El Camino drove to the Dons’ 23 on the following drive, but its field-goal attempt blocked by Ralph Henderson.

Rancho Santiago quarterback Rich Fanti then completed a 54-yard pass, and two plays later, he scrambled 21 yards for a touchdown with 1:29 left. Fanti completed a two-point conversion pass to Crayton and the lead was cut to 51-47.

El Camino got the onsides kick, but turned the ball over on downs with six seconds left at the Rancho Santiago 38.

Fanti’s final pass fell incomplete as time ran out.