ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : Fullerton Gets Blanked by Cerritos, 8-0 : Reserve Running Back White Rushes for 120 Yards and Score

Ray White scored on a 24-yard touchdown run and rushed for 120 yards to lead Cerritos High School to an 8-0 victory over Fullerton Friday night at Gahr High School.

White, a 5-foot 10-inch junior, was a starting wide receiver until this week when starter Darrell Thompson, an 1,100-yard rusher last year, injured his ankle and forced Cerritos Coach Wayne Manzo to make a change.

“Ray is just a super athlete,” Manzo said. “He was playing wide receiver this year because he’s too good a player to sit on the bench playing behind Darrell. He did a great job tonight.”

White’s 24-yard touchdown run capped an 8-play, 67-yard drive with 1:03 left in the first half and gave the Dons a 6-0 lead. D.J. Barker’s extra point attempt was wide.

Fullerton, which was shut out, 23-0, last week by Anaheim, had its best chance to score its first touchdown of the year in the first half, but quarterback Brent Bice fumbled on the Cerritos 16-yard line. Mike Warren recovered to stop the drive.

Cerritos scored again late in the fourth quarter when running back Darrell Corbin recovered a fumbled pitch in the end zone for a safety.

Despite opening the season with back to back shutouts, first-year Fullerton Coach Steve Nishimoto is optimistic about his team’s future.

“We played a lot more aggressively on defense this week and improved overall,” he said. “We’re heading in the right direction and we’re going to be ready for league.

“Right now we’re making some mistakes because of our youth and the new offensive system. But I’m seeing improvement every week.”