By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer

Two months, the thought of the Mt. San Antonio College winning the California Community College Athletic Association football title seemed remote at best.

Saturday, that was all forgotten.

Justin Alo threw for 283 yards and ran for two touchdowns as Mt. SAC completed its remarkable rise from the ashes of its last loss to championship glory, scoring a 27-17 victory over City College of San Francisco to win the CCCAA title at Hilmer Lodge Stadium.

Derrick Macon and Chris Gilchrist (Charter Oak High School) had 120 and 93 yards receiving, respectively, for the Mounties, who finished 11-2 to win the school’s fourth state title.

Jeramiah Peralta threw for 180 yards and accounted for three touchdowns for San Francisco, which finished 11-2.

It was also the final game at Hilmer Lodge Stadium, which will get a major renovation during the next year.

“I just feel like it was destiny,” Alo said. “Our team was able to persevere. We had a lot of adversity, but we responded. You saw that tonight. We weren’t supposed to be in the playoffs (after losing to Riverside in late October), but we got it done.

“We weren’t worried about what (San Francisco) was doing. We focused on us, and that’s what we did.”

The key play for the Mounties, who led 13-10 at halftime, came early in the second half when Aaren Vaughns returned a punt 84 yards for a 20-10 advantage. Vaughns fielded the punt at his own 16, headed left, slipped a tackle about his 40 and sprinted down the sideline to the end zone.

“Coach said just look for the extra block,” Vaughns said about his return. “I got the extra block and I scored.”

Read more in Steve Ramirez’s story CHAMPIONS.