After a blowout win in their season opener, the Millikan Rams will make their DeHaven Stadium debut on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Rams took care of Santa Ana last Friday, 62-13, and will face a different challenge against the Phantoms from the Angelus League.
Junior quarterback Myles Jackson had seven total touchdowns last week and will look to build on those numbers, but can the Millikan offensive line play as well in Game 2 as they did against Santa Ana?
Cathedral has a talented senior on the defensive line, No. 1 Ashton Sanders. He’s listed at 6-3, 295 and has double-digit scholarship offers, so the Rams will need to make sure to match up with him on every snap.
“They have the athletes that Santa Ana didn’t have, that’s the big thing,” Pellum said of Cathedral. “When you’re playing athletes, you don’t know what the heck is gonna happen. They have speed, they have size on their D-Line. Our O-Line played well against Santa Ana, but now you have a real challenge, so let’s see what they’re gonna do.”
The defensive front was a bright spot for Millikan in the season opener, with guys like Craig Gordon and Ethan Steffany having big games, but they’ll have to contend with more speed and explosiveness from Cathedral. Millikan head coach Romeo Pellum is hoping to see improvement in his team’s tackling, as well as limiting penalties and tightening up their substitutions.
The Phantoms were 42-0 winners at Garfield in their non-league opener, so both teams will be looking for stiffer competition in their second game. Senior QB Aidan Moss is a three-year starter at Cathedral, giving them an experienced signal caller to handle the tough road environment at DeHaven Stadium.
Each season under Coach Pellum, the atmosphere on game days at Millikan has gradually improved, and fans should expect nothing different this season. The Rams’ ASB has done a great job mobilizing a student section, and that’ll be something to watch for on Thursday night for the first of several key home games on the schedule this season.
“We’re excited to play in front of our community,” Pellum said. “It’s a good way to welcome the kids back after the summer, right before school starts. We’re excited, especially for the Millikan Mob, which is what we call our student section. They’ve been hitting me up, the kids are excited, and that’s what it’s about. It’s about the kids having somewhere fun to go Friday night and to be safe and come cheer us on. We like playing for them, so we look forward to it and it’ll be a fun environment.”
Follow along for live updates from the sidelines both on Twitter @562Sports or on our Live Updates story, posted on The562.org prior to kickoff.
