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August 13, 2025
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
NORWALK LANCERS
8-3 overall last season, 4-1 in the Mid-Cities League, second place, lost to St. Genevieve High 34-27 in the Division 9 first round playoffs
28-21 overall last five seasons
Head coach: Ruben Guerrero (fifth season, 27-17)
Lost 22 seniors out of 50 players from 2024 opening day roster
Last missed the playoffs: 2023
2025 schedule
Aug. 22 @ Montebello (4-6 overall last season, Division 13)
Aug. 29 @ Santa Fe (7-4, D. 11)
Sept. 5 Pasadena (8-7, D. 13)
Sept. 12 Venice (6-5, CIF-Los Angeles City Section D. 1)
Sept. 19 Paramount (9-2, D. 8)
Sept. 26 BYE
Oct. 3 Lynwood (7-6, D. 14)
Oct. 10 Compton Early College (0-10, D. 14)
Oct. 17 @ Gahr (8-6, D. 13)
Oct. 24 Firebaugh (6-4, D. 14)
Oct. 31 @ Bellflower (0-10, D. 14)
Norwalk High had another banner season that could have lasted longer than the first round exit in the CIF-Southern Section Division 9 playoffs. For the second straight season, the program put together an 8-3 campaign and the 26-8 combined record since 2022 is the best three-season record since the program went 29-8 from 2012-2014. The Lancers had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers who accounted for 81 percent of the ground yards. But it should be noted that Norwalk doesn’t rebuild, it simply regroups.
“That one, we feel kind of got away from us,” said Norwalk head coach Ruben Guerrero of the first round playoff exit. “We jumped out really quick and we thought we were going to be all right. But what we did take from it is I told this new group that every year variables change, and comparably speaking, what do you want in terms of the success level that our team had last year? Do you want the same; do you want less, or do you want more? We have to work for it. I’m of the old adage we’re only as good as our last game, and our last game was a loss. So we need to work hard to get back on the right track.”
OFFENSE
No surprise here because when you run the double wing offense, you have the ability to light up the scoreboard. That’s what the Lancers did last season, scoring 440 points including seven games of over 40 points, all resulting in victories.
Returning as the number one quarterback, who replaces 2025 graduate Nicolas Barrera, is senior Axel Bustamante, who completed two of eight passes for 43 yards last season and threw his only touchdown in the second game of the season against Santa Fe High, which went for nine yards to Derek Sandoval. In fact, Barrera and Bustamente combined for seven completions with all but one going for touchdowns.
“He’s picked up right where he left off as far as his practice [and] his preparation,” said Guerrero. “He knows now that he has the opportunity to be the leader of the team; the one that everybody looks to for guidance, direction; for demeanor during the game, and he’s worked really, really hard. He’s told me he’s ready for the opportunity; we’ve had some talks and conversations.”
As far as a backup signal caller, Guerrero doesn’t have one yet because as he says, ‘we do what we do with the double wing; we’re a double wing team, but right now we have four kids working at quarterback including Axel’. Junior Chazz Barnhill and sophomores Julian Lewis and David Pelayo are the other three.
Last season, Ezra Meuller led the Lancers with 2,010 yards and 27 touchdowns while then-junior Diego Cerritos added 1,268 yards and 20 touchdowns. Meuller graduated and Cerritos is expected to be the leader of the vaunted rushing attack as the lone wingback. Senior Deron Walker would complement Cerritos with seniors Edward DeLeon and Nathan Henriquez and junior Andres Escobar getting some time in the backfield. Guerrero calls the latter three the ‘support committee’.
“Walker has some attributes and some tangibles that makes him a very good fit and very good compliment to Diego,” said Guerrero. “He’s been working very hard this summer. When we watch him run, our eyes open wide. He’s doing a bang up job for us in preparation.”
Junior Jordan Ballinger will be the fullback while juniors Jacob Baker and Miguel Urueta return as the tight ends. But Riley Howard and Jesus Sanchez are expected to see some action there.
Senior center Tristian Romero headlines the offensive line which will also consist of junior left tackle Robert Fanelli, sophomore left guards Marcus Ceja and Leauma Leiataua, senior right guard Angelo Saavedra and junior right tackle Zion Burris, who played guard last season. Senior Anthony Cruz and junior Kevin Rivera could also see some time on the line.
“We’re very young; we graduated a significant amount of seniors last year,” said Guerrero. “We have about 35 juniors in the program, so they’re young, but their eager, hard-working and they pick things up quick. We’re actually excited to see this young group because they’ve been working very, very well together and they’re starting to gel.”
DEFENSE
The Norwalk defense gave up 220 points last season, including over 30 points three times in which the Lancers won two of those games, against Linfield Christian High (65-34) and Gahr High (43-35). Three more opponents failed to score more than a touchdown.
There figures to be a battle on the defensive line with junior Carlos Estrada, who didn’t play last season, and sophomore Marcus Castillo, both of whom are new to the program. Burris, who has been getting help from Laiataua, will be the nose guard while Ballinger will be at one of the tackle positions.
There will be plenty of linebacking experience with seniors Josh Ayala, Keshawn Williams (17 tackles last season) and Cerritos (37 tackles, five sacks) and juniors Joseph Ochoa, Onosai Faamatau (48 tackles, three sacks) and David Ibarra (54 tackles) return as linebackers with junior Josh Rodriguez and Walker handling the cornerback spots and Escobar and Henriquez as the safeties.
“We’re going to have experience,” said Guerrero of his defense. “We have seven guys returning on defense. They’re experienced in the defense we’re running; they’re ahead right now compared to last year at this point. They’re eager and they know it’s going to be a strong point for us because of all the returners. This is what they told me-they want to make a statement equal to what the offense can do. They want to stand out like our offense does.”
SCHEDULE
The most noticeable thing about the schedule is the omission of John Glenn High, a game that has been played every season since 1964 and dubbed The Mayor’s Cup because the two schools hail from the city. The Lancers had dominated the series, winning 20 of the past 22 contests until last season’s game was cancelled. Norwalk was able to find Scripps Ranch High as a replacement and lost 29-12 last Sept. 6.
“It is different,” said Guerrero. “When we were scheduling our schedule this year, it wasn’t an automatic game that we needed to play or that we knew we were going to play. So, going out, we were a little bummed that game can’t happen because of everything that goes along with it. It’s a fun game and I’m bummed out that it couldn’t keep going.”
Norwalk will be battle tested before its gets to league play as four of the five non-league foes advanced to the playoffs. Division 13 champion Pasadena High and Venice High are new non-league opponents as is former Mid-Cities League rival Paramount High. Norwalk fell to the Pirates 28-7 last season and by winning the Mid-Cities League, they moved up to the Gateway League. The Lancers defeated Montebello High 49-6 to begin last season and Santa Fe the following week, 48-13. Another noticeable thing is the fact that it will be nearly two months between road games.
“We’ve been very, very fortunate the last few years to be able to play at home,” said Guerrero. “So starting the year off on the road is going to be a little bit different for us. New opponents, we’re trying to get a schedule together [and] at the time were both available and it seemed like some good matchups. We want to set ourselves up for a good run in league. We saw what Pasadena did and they’re going to be top notch. We feel the same, so we want to see where we are.”
For all intense purposes, four teams will vie for the three automatic playoff spots, beginning with Division 14 champion Lynwood High while Firebaugh High has been improving as of late. Just three seasons ago, Bellflower High tied Gahr and Norwalk as tri champions of the Mid-Cities League. But after faring the opposite way in the Gateway League last season, the Buccaneers are back to where they belong.
“In the time that we’ve been in the Mid-Cities [League], all the programs have been getting better,” said Guerrero. “They’ve been doing very, very well and having success, which is good for our league. We knew that going in; Gahr made a run to the CIF finals and good for coach [Greg] Marshall. He’s a good guy. Lynwood is a perennial playoff team the last few years and Firebaugh had a winning record.”
HOMECOMING
For the fourth straight season, the Lancers will face a new homecoming opponent. This time, it’s Compton Early College, a team whom the purple and gold crushed 56-6 in the first meeting between the programs. Before that, Norwalk had homecoming wins over Gahr (43-35 last season), Locke High (49-6 in 2023) and Lynwood (51-0 in 2022) and from 1998-2024, the Lancers are 16-10 in homecoming games.
FINAL OUTLOOK
“We’re pretty excited,” said Guerrero. “We have a young team, but it’s one of those old school teams where you [tell them], ‘okay, get this, this done’ and poof, they go do it. It’s refreshing; they’re a young, eager, fired up bunch. They’re young but they’re energetic and they’re ready to play some football. We know we have a good, little squad.”
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