The Millikan wrestling team is primed for redemption after two dominating performances on Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Division 4 Dual Meet Saturday.
After defeating Lawndale 76-6 in the quarterfinals, the Rams punched their ticket back to the CIF championship with a 78-3 victory against Cypress.
“Our team is special,” Millikan coach Marshall Thompson said. “We have a lot of great kids that work really hard. When they get out there, they stay active, they work to try and pin their opponent and if they’re behind they never give up. It feels like we’ve really put it together this year.”
Millikan will host the CIF Championship on Wednesday, the team’s second straight trip to the finals. The Rams will be aiming for their first title since 2010.
Meeting the Rams for the second straight season will be South Torrance. The Spartans defeated the Rams at Millikan 42-28 in the finals in 2021, something the current team hasn’t forgotten.
“South Torrance has been doing really well,” Thompson said. “They’ve won three straight championships, so we’re hoping we can put an end of that for them and the beginning for us.”
The Rams finished the season ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section polls, but Thompson knows his team’s opponent will be ready.
“Last year they had quite a few seniors on that team,” Thompson said. “The team they have this year is still really good, and they returned some good guys from last year. But, the bluk of their best guys graduated. For us, we had some seniors but we only had four. That does make a difference. More of our team returned.”
The championship is set to start at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Millikan.
