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By Loren Kopff
Sports Editor | Follow X
September 12, 2025
November 26, 2025
LONG BEACH-For the fourth straight season, a Cerritos-based high school will have a chance to win a CIF-Southern Section divisional championship. Valley Christian High will host Ramona High on Saturday night for the right to be called Division 9 champions.
The Defenders, Rams and the other 30 finals participants in 11-man and eight-man football were recognized at the CIF-Southern Section’s 49th Press Conference Luncheon held this past Tuesday at the Grand in Long Beach. Last season, Gahr High was in this position, two seasons ago, it was Cerritos High and the year prior, it was V.C.
This is the seventh time in school history V.C. has played for a divisional championship, having split the previous six times. In 2022, the Defenders were nipped by Lancaster High 44-42 in the Division 12 finals and in 2016, V.C. breezed past Silverado High 59-13 in the Division 9 title game.
“It’s been great playing alongside the same dudes for four years now,” said senior Cole Hefner. “It’s been a blast, and being able to set a goal from those early years and being able to achieve our senior year has been great. I think we’ve worked hard for it.”
V.C. is coming off a 28-12 victory over San Dimas High last Friday in which junior quarterback Liam Sweeney set season-highs with 15 passes, 191 yards and three touchdowns while Hefner rushed 23 times for 88 yards.
Because of a season-ending injury to junior Graham Lunzer in the first round against Chino High, Hefner has been asked to do the bulk of the rushing. In the three playoff games, he has gained 195 yards on 75 carries and now has 451 yards on the season. Lunzer was the leader with 519 yards and scored 14 touchdowns before he got injured.
“I think everybody has an assignment to do, and my assignment has kind of changed,” said Hefner. “When Graham got injured, and especially with the rain against Warren and games like that where let’s just keep the ball on the ground, I kind of look at it as I have a job to do and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.
“I think Liam has also stepped up huge and killed his role,” he continued. “The line, the receivers…everybody, and I think more about just doing your assignment and doing it to the best of their ability.
The Defenders are entering the championship game on a six-game winning streak with their defense allowing 28 points in the last four games and nearly 18 points for the season. However, they will go up against a squad that began the season with five straight wins and is currently on another five-game streak.
The Rams offense is explosive, having reached at least 40 points the last two games, four out of the last five and six times this season. They could surpass the 500-point mark on Saturday if they can find the end zone three times. Last Friday, Ramona was all over Hesperia High 40-13.
“It’s going to be a tough challenge for sure,” said V.C. head coach Brendan Chambers. “They pass and run the ball really well and their running back is very good in space; we have to get to him early. I’m a little worried about their skilled guys; they have a couple of receivers who can really go. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
Quarterback Jesus Gonzalez was 14 of 20 for 214 yards and threw three touchdowns while Lorenzo Sims rushed 21 times for 161 yards and Isaac Mata caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown.
“They’re a good team for sure, but I think we’re a good team, too,” said Hefner. “I think it’s going to be a dogfight and when we play good in dogfights, Coach Chambers says he’s always going to take us. And I like our guys in a dogfight. [Ramona] has some speed, but I think we have good DB’s who can cover for sure. I’m looking forward to the game.”
“Just how they have gotten better each week,” said Chambers on what’s impressed him of his defense in the playoffs. “Being able to stop the run last week against a weak team, then going back to two weeks, we were able to stop the pass. I know it was raining, which helped us a little bit. But early in the year, it was a little bit tougher in pass coverage, and I think they’ve been doing a great job of being able to stop the run and play the pass pretty well.”
The Division 9 finalists have a common opponent as V.C. breezed past Cerritos 42-23 back on Sept. 12 with Lunzer rushing for four touchdowns and passing for two more while the Rams eliminated the Dons 48-22 in the quarterfinals, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter after the Dons had a 14-13 halftime lead.
Since 2021, Ramona has gone 51-12 while from 2015-2019, the program went 39-17-1. Overall, the Rams have finished above .500 10 straight seasons.
This is the second meeting all-time between V.C. and Ramona as the Rams were on the better end of a 42-13 contest on Nov. 5, 2021 in a Division 9 quarterfinal game.
CIF-Southern Section Division 9 championship
Saturday Nov. 29, 7:00 at Valley Christian Stadium
#16 Ramona High Rams #6 Valley Christian High Defenders
11-2 overall, 3-2 in the River Valley League 10-3 overall, 4-1 in the Ironwood League
Key offensive leaders
Quarterbacks
Ramona
#2 Jesus Gonzalez 113/193 1,690 yards, 19 touchdowns, nine interceptions.
Valley Christian
#6 Graham Lunzer (injured) 138/232 2,065 yards, 23 touchdowns, six interceptions
#2 Liam Sweeney 39/64 496 yards, six touchdowns, one interception
Running backs
Ramona
#0 Lorenzo Sims 192 carries, 1,819 yards, 26 touchdowns
#4 Michael White 16 carries, 176 yards, one touchdown
Valley Christian
#6 Graham Lunzer (injured) 132 carries, 519 yards, 14 touchdowns
#32 Cole Hefner 117 carries, 451 yards, one touchdown
Wide receivers
Ramona
#1 Isaac Mata 22 receptions, 592 yards, nine touchdowns
#10 Cary Moore 21 receptions, 254 yards, four touchdowns
#0 Lorenzo Sims 19 receptions, 347 yards, three touchdowns
#4 Michael White 17 receptions, 316 yards, three touchdowns
Valley Christian
#1 Oliver Boateng 59 receptions, 984 yards, 14 touchdowns
#14 Sean Bouma 38 receptions, 585 yards, five touchdowns
#32 Cole Hefner 29 receptions, 345 yards, three touchdowns
#28 Max Douglas 17 receptions, 202 yards, two touchdowns
Key defensive leaders
Ramona
#7 Luis Mena IV 124 tackles, eight sacks, two interceptions
#22 Aki Arteaga 104 tackles, two and a half sacks
#31 Moises Mendoza 76 tackles, seven sacks, one interception
#4 Michael White five interceptions
Valley Christian
#32 Cole Hefner 103 tackles, three and half sacks
#58 Isaac Morales 51 tackles
#61 Jameson Miller 48 tackles
#3 Blake Butler 45 tackles
#11 Sam Melcher 45 tackles, three sacks
#1 Oliver Boateng 43 tackles
#28 Max Douglas 42 tackles, two sacks
#14 Sean Bouma 38 tackles, three interceptions
Prediction: V.C. 35, Ramona 28
Last week’s prediction: 1-0
Season to date: 46-25
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