Over the past few weeks, the Millikan Rams (3-4, 2-1) have seemingly established themselves as the second-place team in the Moore League. Tonight they’ll get a unique challenge from a Compton (2-3, 1-1) team that’s looking for an upset win to keep its playoff hopes going.
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Compton College.
Millikan is coming off a cathartic 49-7 win over Lakewood last Friday night, which came on the heels of an impressive performance against Long Beach Poly the week prior. The challenge for the Rams will be to maintain that same level of focus and intensity in a matchup void of all the hype and additional motivators.
The Rams won this meeting in the spring season, 35-6, doing well to contain the Compton rushing attack while also getting a nice game from running back Ajae Gravelly (20 carries, 120 yards, TD). This season, Millikan’s offense has been running through sophomore quarterback Myles Jackson, who is coming off a monster 5 TD performance against Lakewood last week.
Compton has just not been able to get into any rhythm this season, due in large part to injuries and key players sitting out. Last week’s 33-14 loss at Jordan was a gut punch to Compton’s playoff hopes, but there’s still time to set things right. Perhaps having a “home” game played in Hub City will help right the ship, since all five of Compton’s games have been on the road this season while the school is under construction.
Compton’s offensive line is its biggest strength--and Millikan’s defense has had trouble stopping the run at times--so if Calvin Bryant’s team can run the ball consistently and shorten the game, they could keep things interesting. With star running back Deon Johnson missing the end of the Jordan game last Friday, Compton will likely need him healthy in order to win this one.
