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Cerritos High safety Michael Quibrantar picks off Kevin Garcia of Buena Park High nearly midway through the first quarter of last Thursday’s season-opener. The interception would lead to a touchdown by junior quarterback Justin Sagun, giving Cerritos a 10-0 lead at the time. The Dons would shutout the Coyotes 38-0. PHOTO BY DAVE KY, Contributing photographer.
August 29, 2024
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
BUENA PARK-The Cerritos High football team wanted to make sure that its CIF-Southern Section Division 12 championship of last season was not a fluke. So, the Dons ushered their 2024 season in grand fashion with a shutout over Buena Park High in last Thursday’s opener.
Cerritos scored on four of its first five drives to begin the game and did not allow the Coyotes to cross midfield until late in the first half in a 38-0 thrashing. The Dons posted shutouts of 38-0 and 58-0 last season and held six other opponents to under 20 points.
“Defense has always been the anchor of our team,” said Cerritos head coach Demel Franklin. “We build the defense first. Offensively, we have to give ourselves some points. But we know we have a very good defense, and we make a mistake, they can give us the ball back and we can correct it.”
After junior Mateo Arancibia booted a 26-yard field goal almost five minutes into the contest, junior safety Michael Quibrantar picked off Kevin Garcia three plays into Buena Park’s next possession. The turnover would lead to a one-yard touchdown run from junior quarterback Justin Sagun with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, senior running back Dikshanta Adhikari scored from 14 yards out. It was his third 14-yard run of the game as he would finish the contest with 109 yards on 16 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Senior running back Josiah Ungos gained 80 yards on 13 carries and scored on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter to end the scoring. Sagun pitched in with 41 yards on four carries to give the Dons that balanced running attack they had last season.
“They’re hot,” said Franklin. “I don’t believe in letting everybody touch the ball. If you’re hot, you stay hot. That’s it. You better pray that dude get cold. If not, you’re on the sideline all night, and they know it. That’s how it is.”
Adhikari added an 18-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter as the Dons built a 24-0 halftime lead while the defense was pinning the Coyotes back for most of the half. Of the first 18 plays by the Coyotes, half a dozen went for negative yardage and for the game, they did not have a play of more than 11 yards.
Junior Tyler Ky led the Cerritos defense with seven tackles while senior linebacker Nathaniel Crawford added five tackles with junior Labrenten Wilson getting four tackles. Sagun ended up completing five passes for 44 yards with senior wide receiver Ruben Castro catching four of them.
“Justin is a fighter,” said Franklin. “Even when he makes mistakes, now he’s at the point where he doesn’t break all the way down. Last year he would break all the way down when he made a mistake, and I would have had to crush him. So, I had to ease up a little and let him grow and mature, and he’s showing what he can do.”
Cerritos will host Gahr High on Friday in the battle for the Silver Milk Barrel. It’s also the Game of the Week. Gahr fell to Valley Christian High 49-23 last Friday, getting outscored 21-6 in the second half.
The Gladiators got the bulk of their offense from senior utility person Markell Slaughter, who rushed 10 times for 98 yards and scored on a 40-yard run early in the fourth quarter. He also caught eight passes for 105 yards and completed one pass for two yards.
Gahr knocked off the Dons 27-20 last season and has won 14 of the past 15 games. In 2022, Cerritos posted a 21-6 over Gahr. Since the Cerritos-Gahr rivalry began in 1972, both teams have won 23 games with the results from the 1975 and 1981 games unknown. They did not meet from 2018-2021, probably because the Gladiators had outscored the Dons 561-56 during a 13-game winning streak, the longest in the series.
Prediction: Cerritos 35, Gahr 21
In other football action,
Mark Keppel High (0-1) @ Artesia High (1-0)-This game was played on Aug. 29. Artesia rallied last week at Long Beach Cabrillo High, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter to escape with a 29-26 victory. Senior quarterback Charlie Lopez was nearly a one-man show, gaining 193 yards on 21 carries and scoring three times while completing five of eight passes for 75 yards. Junior running back Joe Thomas Jr. added 56 yards on eight carries and scored once as the Pioneers gained nearly 300 yards on the ground.
Mark Keppel lost to Mountain View High 63-22 last Friday as the Aztecs were held to 121 yards on offense, but Matthew Contreras had 207 yards just in kickoff returns. He was also the leading rusher with 44 yards and on the topic of the running game, Mountain View tore though the defense to the tune of 465 yards while building a 33-14 halftime lead. Last season, Artesia routed the Aztecs 41-0.
Prediction: Artesia 42, Mark Keppel 14
Rancho Dominguez Prep (0-1) @ John Glenn High (1-0)-This game was played on Aug. 29. Despite all the controversy and turmoil within the football program over the past several weeks, Glenn was able to hold off Bassett High 12-8 last Thursday. Senior quarterback Raymond Acosta tossed a touchdown in the first and second quarters and the Eagles defense surrendered just a safety in the second half. The win avenged a 29-28 loss to the Olympians last season. A week later, the Eagles posted a 46-0 win over Rancho Dominguez Prep.
The Lobos, who are out of the Metro League of the CIF-Los Angeles City Section, fell to Compton High 35-22 last Friday. Rancho Dominguez Prep, which first fielded a football team in 2012, has had one winning season in school history (2015)
Prediction: Glenn 28, Rancho Dominguez 17
Western High (0-1) @ La Mirada High (0-1)-The Matadores will christen its renovated Goodman Stadium, hoping to notch their first win of the season. La Mirada fell to Cypress High 49-27 last Friday despite a pair of touchdown passes from junior quarterback Santino Garcia and a 98-yard kickoff return from senior Max Rankin. Garcia completed 10 passes for 254 yards.
Western is coming off a 71-0 loss to Los Alamitos High in which the Pioneers gained 221 yards on offense. Quarterback Noah Giddens was 10 of 28 for 90 yards while Malachi Alatorre picked up 89 yards on the ground. This is the first meeting between the two in at least 20 years.
Prediction: La Mirada 35, Western 21
Santa Fe High (1-0) @ Norwalk High (1-0)-Norwalk had no problems with Montebello High in a 49-6 win last Friday as senior running back Ezra Meuller rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns and junior running backs Diego Cerritos and Derek Sandoval accounted for another 172 yards and three touchdowns. Those three were part of a vaunted rushing attack that picked up 439 yards on the ground. Senior quarterback Nicolas Barrera completed one pass, but it went for a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior Tyler Burton.
Santa Fe blasted Pioneer High 48-7 last Friday and this is the first meeting between the teams since 1999 when the Chiefs blanked the Lancers 37-0.
Prediction: Norwalk 38, Santa Fe 28
Valley Christian (1-0) @ Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana High (0-1)-This game is being played at Segerstrom High on Saturday. For the first time since 2001, the former Olympic League rivals renew acquaintances. In that game, V.C. squeaked out a 21-19 win. The Eagles lost a heartbreaking 22-21 contest to Woodbridge High last Friday with the deciding factor a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, the only score of the final stanza. C.C.S.A. had rallied three times in the game.
Prediction: V.C. 35, C.C.S.A. 20
Last week’s predictions: 5-1
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Artesia has played once this season, getting swept by Monrovia High and will host Bell Gardens High on Tuesday while Valley Christian swept Cerritos 25-15, 25-19, 25-12 this past Tuesday night. Cerritos never led in the match and had a 2-2 tie in the first set before the Defenders reeled off seven straight points. Later in the set, V.C. went on a five-point scoring spree to go up 24-14.
V.C. sophomore outside hitter Tessa Dobmeier led everyone with 11 kills and had three aces while junior middle hitter Jordan Weston and senior outside hitter Cameron Warner added seven and six kills respectively.
Cerritos (1-3) was paced by senior middle blocker Sophia Toney, who had three kills and a block in the opening set. The Dons visited Gahr on Aug. 29 and will visit Downey High on Tuesday. V.C. (7-2) entertained St. Anthony High on Aug. 29 and will welcome Mayfair High and Warren High on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
Gahr swept St. Paul High last Friday to improve to 7-5 and after its match with Cerritos, will host Bellflower High on Wednesday.
After winning four matches last season, Glenn picked up its fifth victory in seven matches with a 25-16, 25-15, 25-7 decision over San Gabriel Mission High this past Tuesday. It was the fourth sweep in the five wins. The Eagles will go to South El Monte High on Friday before hosting Anaheim High on Tuesday and Hawthorne Math and Sciences Academy the next day.
La Mirada rallied from two sets down to defeat La Serna High in five this past Monday, then knocked off Whitney High 25-13, 19-25, 25-20, 25-18 this past Tuesday to improve to 4-2. The Matadores visited California High on Aug. 29 and will travel to Sonora High and Santa Fe on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
Norwalk defeated Schurr High 21-25, 25-18, 26-24, 22-25, 15-4 last Thursday, then was swept by Tustin High 25-19, 25-23, 26-24 this past Monday to fall to 4-5. The Lancers faced Mayfair on Aug. 29 and will go to Firebaugh High on Monday, Santa Fe on Tuesday and Bell Gardens on Thursday.
Whitney’s loss to La Mirada was its first in five matches this season as the Wildcats travel to La Quinta High on Tuesday and Troy High on Thursday.
GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL
Artesia picked up its first win of the season last Thursday at Cabrillo, 12-6, then lost to Westminster High 21-13 this past Monday. The Pioneers (1-2) visited Bellflower this past Wednesday and will go to Whittier High on Wednesday.
Gahr took care of Narbonne High (12-6) and St. Paul (14-6) last Saturday and blanked Pioneer 22-0 this past Monday to move its record to 4-1. The Gladiators hosted this past Wednesday and will welcome Ayala High on Tuesday.
Glenn (1-2) fell to La Mirada 26-12 this past Monday and will travel to Santiago High on Wednesday while La Mirada then shutout Magnolia High 46-0 this past Tuesday to move to 3-1. La Mirada will host California on Wednesday.
Norwalk crushed South El Monte 40-6 last Thursday before losing to California 25-19. The Lancers (3-3) host Whittier on Tuesday.
