Excitement continues to build around the Millikan football program. The Rams boast one of the most talented rosters in program history, and they’ve established themselves as the top challenger to Poly’s Moore League supremacy.
Head coach Romeo Pellum has once again put together a compelling schedule of games for his fourth season in charge, including an out-of-state trip during the preseason.
The Rams will open up the season on Aug. 19 at Santa Ana, looking for revenge after dropping a nail-biter to the Saints in the 2021 season opener. The rest of Millikan’s non-league schedule will be against new teams from last season.
Millikan will play its home opener against Cathedral on Aug. 26. The Phantoms struggled in the win-loss column last season, going just 1-8, but play in the vaunted Mission League along with teams like Alemany, Serra, and Bishop Amat.
Next on the schedule is a clash with St. Francis High on Sept. 2 at DeHaven Stadium. The Golden Knights hosted Long Beach Poly in the CIF-SS Division 4 finals last season, and have a winning program under respected head coach Dean Herrington.
“As soon as I saw they were playing Poly in the finals, I wanted to schedule them,” Pellum said of St. Francis. “It’s a great game for us.”
The Rams will wrap up their non-league schedule with a trip to Arizona to face Sunrise Mountain High in Peoria. The Mustangs were 7-5 last season and are just two years removed from winning a Conference 5A state championship. Last season, the CalPreps rankings had Sunrise Mountain as the No. 32 team in the state.
“They are a pretty comparable team to us, at least from last year,” Pellum said. “When I did the projection, CalPreps had them beating us by one point. They’re for sure a good team, and it’s a great bonding trip for our guys.”
Millikan opens Moore League play with a trip to WIlson on Sept. 16, before hosting Jordan the following Friday night.
The Moore League title could be decided on Sept. 30 as Millikan hosts Poly for a highly-anticipated showdown. That game should feature more than a dozen future college football players on each roster.
The Rams will look to retain the Hamilton Trophy on Oct. 7 with a trip to archrivals Lakewood. Millikan hosts Compton on Oct. 14 for its final home game, gets the bye on the penultimate week of the regular season, then visits Cabrillo to close out the year.
2022 Millikan Rams Football Schedule
Aug. 19 - at Santa Ana
Aug. 26 - vs. Cathedral
Sept. 2 - vs. St. Francis
Sept. 10 - at Sunrise Mountain (AZ)
Sept. 16 - at Wilson
Sept. 23 - vs. Jordan
Sept. 30 - vs. Poly
Oct. 7 - at Lakewood
Oct. 14 - vs. Compton
Oct. 21 - BYE
Oct. 28 - at Cabrillo
