NEWS AND NOTES FROM PRESS ROW – Lack of depth shows in Glenn’s first loss of season

September 5, 2024

By Loren Kopff• @LorenKopff on X

When the John Glenn High football team defeated Bassett High in the season opener on Aug. 22, less than 20 players suited up. Last Thursday night, the Eagles hosted Rancho Dominguez Prep and again, they were thin in the personnel department, suiting up 20 players.

Despite an adequate opening quarter that saw Glenn hold a 2-0 advantage, the lack of depth caught up to Glenn throughout the game as the Lobos scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to post a 42-8 victory.

“I’m going to keep harping on this; we’re a young team,” said Glenn head coach Elijhaa Penny. “I feel like they did some positive things on offense. But again, getting more mature and finishing those drives will be helpful for us going down the stretch.”

The Eagles began the game at their own 25-yard line and drove to the RDP 18-yard line before senior quarterback Raymond Acosta threw an interception to David Menjivar at the eight-yard line. But three plays later, sophomore Andre Romo sacked Davonte Foley in the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 lead with 3:56 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter and still nursing the lead, Glenn moved to the RDP 15-yard line before junior running back Josiah Alcala was stopped on fourth and two. The Lobos turned that into a touchdown and from that point on, Glenn’s offense flew south. A bad snap to Acosta on three straight plays led to a punt where Justin Rayes scored his second one-yard touchdown run of the game. The half ended with Acosta throwing his second interception and following another Rayes touchdown early in the third quarter, another Acosta pick slowed down any momentum the Eagles thought they might have had.

But the second best drive of the game would give Glenn it’s only touchdown as sophomore running back Sam Reeves scored from two yards out with 1:01 remaining in the third quarter. The drive was kept alive thanks to the help from sophomore wide receiver Alijah Hunter, who recovered a bad snap on an attempted punt and scrambled for 12 yards down the far sideline before he was pushed out of bounds and thrown down. The subsequent personal foul infraction gave the Eagles new life at the 36-yard line.

“I think he’s a special kid,” Penny said of Hunter. “I think he has all the talent in the world. I think once Alijah puts all that together; once he figures out who he is and how athletic he is, I believe he’ll be an even greater player. It was good night for him tonight; it was good to see him have some spurts and show some glimpses of being great.”

Following two straight incomplete passes, senior wide receiver Jacob Ramirez made a diving catch for a 31-yard play, and two plays later came the touchdown. After that, the Eagles were limited to 27 yards on a dozen plays in the final stanza while the Lobos scored three touchdowns on 10 offensive plays and added a safety within the first 6:48 of the fourth quarter.

Alcala led the Glenn rushing attack with 37 yards on 10 carries while Reeves added 27 yards on eight carries and had five tackles on defense. Ramirez caught three of Acosta’s four completions for 78 yards.

“I think Rancho did a decent job of sending three guys [on defense],” said Penny. “They know our run concept pretty well…and they did a good job of pressuring our run game and managing the defensive side of the ball for themselves.”

Within the last few weeks, the Glenn football program has gone through a season’s worth of adversity stemming from questionable comments made on social media and on the LCCN website at the coaches, the school, and the NLMUSD to the dwindling numbers of healthy and eligible players available for the first two games. 

An alarming number of players after last year transferred out of the Glenn program to other high schools or quit the team altogether. The players spanned the position spectrum and weren’t just frustrated freshmen or sophomores but top junior and senior players. 

The biggest defection from last season’s team, and probably the biggest loss in recent memory for the program, was senior running back Tuiono Tuifua, who transferred to La Mirada High. His absence will be greatly missed with the numbers he put together last season, logging 134 carries 1,425 yards, 14 touchdowns, 26 receptions, 597 yards, and seven touchdowns.

Obviously, Tui was a great player,” Penny, who was an NFL running back, told LCCN. “He’s a good kid overall, and unfortunately, in this day and age, this transfer thing is like too big.” 

Other running backs who bolted were senior Dylan Arrington and junior running backs Daron Walker and Terry Henderson, who had 54 carries, 569 yards, five touchdowns, and seven receptions for 143 yards in 2023.

“Any kid can be replaced,” said Penny. Losing those guys definitely took a big hit on our offense, and it took a big hit on our program in the direction we want to go.”

Adding to the concern, three starting offensive linemen from 2023 left the team: left guard Johdan Escobar, center Joshua Frausto, and right guard Ivan Galindo. There is also a battle for the left tackle spot. “We’re in a frenzy on the line,” Penny said.

The latest hit was a press release from Norwalk High principal Dr. David Olea regarding the cancellation of the Mayor’s Cup contest between the two city schools, scheduled to have been played on Sept. 13. Despite everything that has been going on, Penny continues to keep a positive outlook on the season.

“At the end of the day, we’re here to play football,” he said. “So, the stuff on social media is not bothering us. Like I tell these boys, if it’s outside these walls, it doesn’t matter. It’s just high school football. That’s it; make it memorable for yourselves.”

“At the end of the day, we’re here to play football,” he said. “So, the stuff on social media is not bothering us. Like I tell these boys, if it’s outside these walls, it doesn’t matter. It’s just high school football. That’s it; make it memorable for yourselves.”

In other high school football action:

Bolsa Grande High (0-1) @ Artesia High (2-0)-The Pioneers blasted Mark Keppel High 54-6 last Thursday as senior quarterback Charlie Lopez completed three passes, but two went for touchdowns, and four different running backs scored a touchdown. The Artesia defense also scored twice on interception returns while limiting the Aztecs to 115 yards.

Bolsa Grande fell to Savanna High 34-28 on Aug. 23 as the Rebels scored 22 points in the second quarter and had a 28-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Artesia’s pass defense will be put to the test as quarterback Tank Britton threw for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. Rudy Carrillo and Jacob Ortiz each caught eight passes and were two of six players to have at least one catch. Seven ball carriers combined for 133 yards as the Matadors won last season’s contest with the Pioneers 49-42.

Prediction: Artesia 38, Bolsa Grande 28

Cerritos High (2-0) @ Portola High (0-2)-It’s hard to believe that Cerritos is playing at a better pace than last season when the Dons captured the CIF-Southern Section Division 12 title, but how can you argue against a team that has outscored its first two opponents by a combined score of 75-0? You can’t, as senior running back Dikshanta Adhikari has rushed for 281 yards on 31 carries and scored half a dozen touchdowns while senior running back Josiah Ungos has added 152 yards on 25 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Defensively, the Dons have not even given up 200 yards on the season.

Portola’s first two games have been on the road, getting shutout by Long Beach Wilson High 27-0 and coming up short against Irvine High 24-19 last Friday. The Bulldogs have put together 310 yards this season but have been held to no more than 80 yards rushing.

Portola, which opened in 2016, has won all four meetings with the Dons, including last season’s 14-0 encounter.

Prediction: Cerritos 31, Portola 10

Gahr High (0-2) @ Ocean View High (0-2)-Someone will be going home happy around 9:30 Friday night because a first victory of the season will have occurred. Gahr was manhandled by Cerritos last Friday and it’s lack of depth was evident. After getting 88 yards on 10 carries in the season opener against Valley Christian High, senior Markell Slaughter was held in check by Cerritos, getting 72 yards on 15 carries. Gahr’s defense has allowed 86 points thus far.

Despite the injury issues the Gladiators have so far, they should have enough to get past an Ocean View squad that lost to Anaheim High 17-7 last week after a 49-6 setback to Fountain Valley High the previous week. The Seahawks have rushed for 159 yards and quarterback Isaac Young has completed 12 passes for 107 yards with four interceptions. Last season, Gahr defeated Ocean View 43-7.

“I haven’t seen them [this season], and it doesn’t matter,” said Gahr head coach Greg Marshall. “We have to try and put something together. I think we’re going to have to throw the football because we can’t really pound it in there. But the quarterbacks have to practice.”

Prediction: Gahr 28, Ocean View 14

Glenn (1-1) @ University High/Los Angeles (1-0)-For the second straight week, Glenn will step out of the CIF-SS to face a team from the CIF-Los Angeles City Section. University, from the Western League, defeated Fremont High 20-13 last Thursday in its season opener. The Wildcats built leads of 6-0 in the first quarter and 12-6 at the half before rallying from a point down with less than two minutes left in the game. Last season, the Eagles got past University 32-28 in the only other meeting between the schools. Glenn came back from a 14-0 first quarter deficit to score 16 points in the second quarter. After falling behind 22-16 in the third quarter and 28-24 in the final stanza, the Eagles scored the game winner with less than a minute remaining.

“I think University is a great team; that will be another good challenge for us,” said Penny. “I think once we get our healthy bodies back, we’ll be in better shape. After last year’s game, [University] will want to get a [win] against us. We’ll be ready to play; we’ll come out ready to play.”

Prediction: Glenn 21, University 14

Tesoro High (1-1) @ La Mirada High (0-2)-For the first time since 2018, La Mirada played a non-scrimmage game at Goodman Stadium, but this time with a new field turf and other new features. Unfortunately, the Matadores were blown out by Western High 42-7 as the Pioneers scored 28 points in the second half to turn a one-possession game into a rout. It was the fourth straight game dating back to last season the Matadores have allowed at least 40 points and against Western, they yielded over 400 yards. The lone touchdown came from senior running back Josh Gonzalez, whose three-yard run gave La Mirada a brief 7-6 first quarter lead.

Tesoro is coming off a 42-28 loss to CIF-San Diego Section-based San Marcos High as the Titans were outgained 523-435. Tesoro had a 7-0 lead but trailed 21-14 at the half before tying the game twice before the Knights scored the last two touchdowns of the game.

Quarterback Cash O’Byrne passed for 257 yards and rushed for 126 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns. in two games, he has thrown for 782 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 154 yards.

This is the first time the teams have faced each other since 2014, a 26-23 La Mirada victory. In 2013, Tesoro won 43-14 and in 2008, the Titans were victorious, 57-21. Tesoro opened its school in 2001.

Prediction: Tesoro 31, La Mirada 21

GAME OF THE WEEK

Scripps Ranch High (2-0) @ Norwalk (2-0)-This was to have been Norwalk’s bye week, but the cancellation of the Sept. 13 contest against Glenn forced the Lancers to find a replacement. As it turned out, Scripps Ranch out of the San Diego Section had an open week and decided to make the trek up north.

Norwalk had another easy time in taking care of Santa Fe High 48-13 last Friday and now has scored 97 points this season. Senior running back Ezra Meuller has rushed for 342 yards on 32 carries with four touchdowns while junior running backs Diego Cerritos and Derek Sandoval have combined for 304 yards and five scores. Senior quarterback Nicolas Barrera and junior Axel Bustamante have combined to complete four of seven passes for 69 yards and four touchdowns.

The Falcons defeated El Capitan High 20-7, limiting the Vaqueros to 116 yards total offense. Just three seasons ago, Scripps Ranch defeated Wilcox High 31-28 to claim the CIF Division 2A state championship. Scripps Ranch, which was established in 1993, is just to the east of Interstate 15 a few miles from Mira Mesa and Miramar College.

Prediction: Norwalk 42, Scripps Ranch 21

Baldwin Park High (0-2) @ Valley Christian (2-0)-After two games, the experience of a 3-7 season in 2023 is paying off for the Defenders, who raced to a 35-6 halftime lead against Calvary Chapel Santa Ana High last Saturday and cruised to a 42-25 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. V.C. piled up 423 yards and got another strong performance from senior quarterback Austin Abrahams. The Defenders have scored 91 points in two games this season as they get to play their first game on their new home field turf surface.

Baldwin Park lost to Covina High 42-7 last Friday, falling behind 21-7 after the opening quarter. Mark Carbajal was the lone highlight for the Braves, rushing for 156 yards on 18 carries while Elvis Doaz tossed a 59-yard touchdown pass to Tremell Horn. This is the first meeting between the two in at least over 25 years.

Prediction: V.C. 35, Baldwin Park 7

Last week’s predictions: 4-2

Season to date: 9-3

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

Artesia, which entered the week at 1-3, visited Whittier High this past Wednesday and will host Gahr and Mayfair High on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

Gahr is off to a 5-1 start as it will host Arleta High on Saturday and Los Altos High on Wednesday while Glenn is still searching for its first win and will try to achieve that on Tuesday against Estancia High.

La Mirada began the week at 3-1 and will travel to La Habra High on Monday before hosting La Serna High two days later while Norwalk leveled its mark at 4-4 following a 24-12 win against Whittier this past Tuesday. The Lancers will host George Washington Prep on Saturday and Chaffey High on Tuesday.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Artesia fell to Bell Gardens High 25-22, 17-25, 18-25, 25-17, 12-15 this past Tuesday and will go to Whittier on Tuesday while Cerritos, which knocked off Gahr 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 25-11 last Thursday, began the week at 2-3. The Dons are in the Chatsworth Tournament on Friday and Saturday before hosting California High on Tuesday and going to Whitney High on Thursday in the 605 League opener.

Gahr defeated Avalon High 25-16, 23-25, 25-12, 20-25, 16-14 to improve to 7-6 and will compete in the Whittier Tournament on Friday and Saturday before hosting Bell Gardens on Tuesday and going back to Whittier on Thursday.

The most improved team so far is Glenn, which is 6-2 as it will host Duarte High today before going to Rancho Alamitos High on Tuesday, then entertain Magnolia High on Wednesday while La Mirada saw its four-match winning streak end this past Tuesday as Sonora High swept the Matadores 25-14, 25-13, 25-17. La Mirada visited Santa Fe on Sept. 5 and will participate in the Whittier Tournament on Friday and Saturday before facing Norwalk on Thursday.

Speaking of Norwalk, it has lost three of the last four matches to fall to 5-7. The Lancers, who fell to Santa Fe 25-20, 22-25, 16-25, 14-25 this past Tuesday, went to Bell Gardens on Sept. 5 and will also be in the Whittier Tournament before facing La Mirada.

V.C. swept St. Anthony High 25-21, 25-23, 25-16 last Thursday and Mayfair 25-11, 25-17, 25-13 this past Tuesday to improve to 9-2. The Defenders, winners of three straight and nine of the last 10, hosted Warren High on Sept. 5 and will be in the Kennedy Tournament on Saturday before traveling to Whittier Christian High on Thursday in the Olympic League opener.

Whitney improved to 6-1 after sweeping La Quinta High 25-17, 25-18, 25-14 this past Tuesday. The Wildcats went to Troy High on Sept. 5 and will host North Torrance High on Tuesday.

Note: LCCN Owner/Publisher contributed to this report.