NEWS AND NOTES FROM PRESS ROW: Cerritos hopes to end season’s slow start and get first win over Valley Christian

By Loren Kopff

@LorenKopff on X

It hasn’t been the beginning to the 2026 season that either Cerritos High or Valley Christian High had hoped for. Through the first two weeks of the season, both have a combined 0-3-1 record as they face each other on Friday in the HMG-Community News Game of the Week in the season debut of V.C.’s popular tri-tip sandwiches.

Cerritos is coming off a 7-3 loss to ABC Unified School District rival Gahr High last Friday in which all the scoring took place in the fourth quarter while the Defenders were blanked by Mary Star of the Sea High 34-0. This will be the sixth meeting between the schools with Cerritos looking to defeat V.C. for the first time. This is also a meeting of a pair of schools who each have won a CIF-Southern Section divisional championship within the past four seasons.

Last season, V.C. came away with a 42-23 victory as it outscored the Dons 21-6 in the second half. Senior quarterback Graham Lunzer accounted for all six touchdowns, scoring on four rushes of no more than 10 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes of 43 and 42 yards. Through the first two games, Lunzer has completed 21 of 44 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns but has been picked off three times. Last season, Lunzer threw six interceptions in 11 games.

Lunzer also leads the team in rushing with 58 yards and 23 carries with a pair of touchdowns while senior wide receiver Byron Louis leads the team with eight receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown while senior tight end Sam Melcher has caught three passes for 45 yards.

Melcher is also the man on the defensive side with 19 tackles while sophomore linebacker Tae Cooley, sophomore defensive back Leonard Graham and sophomore lineman Axel Johnston all have nine tackles. Not to be forgotten is junior Trevor Torres, who has 164 yards in kickoff returns.

The Dons, who have fallen to the Defenders in 2013 (42-28), 2014 (38-14), 2015 (48-6) and two seasons ago (28-14), scored their only touchdown this season in the third quarter against Cypress High on Aug. 20, an 80-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Alex Laurin to senior running back Sam Reeves.

Prediction: V.C. 28, Cerritos 14

IN OTHER GAMES ON FRIDAY:

Gahr (1-0-1) @ Artesia High (2-0)-In the second ABC Unified School District in as many weeks, Artesia hopes to remain hot and defeat the Gladiators for the first time since 2013. Since 1998, Gahr has defeated the Pioneers 14 times in 20 meetings. The two did not face each other last season and two seasons ago, Gahr came away with a 34-7 win in the CIF-SS Division 13 quarterfinals. In fact, the Pioneers have scored less than 10 points in each of the last four meetings.

Artesia defeated Hacienda Heights Wilson High 28-12 last Friday after easing past Gabrielino High 38-0 the previous week.

Prediction: Artesia 28, Gahr 17

John Glenn High (2-0) @ California Military Institute (0-2)-Last season began with two straight losses before the Eagles won their only two games, one of which was a 14-0 homecoming win over CMI. Already this season, Glenn is off to the program’s best start since 2023 when that team, coached by former Norwalk High star Elijhaa Penny, won the first three games and six of the first seven. Last Friday, the Eagles cruised past Century High 31-6 as junior quarterback Ryder Perez threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Kellen Huckelberry and scored on a two-yard run as the Eagles went up 21-0 after the first quarter. In the two games, Perez has accounted for five of the team’s seven touchdowns.

CMI came up short in a 21-20 loss to Firebaugh High last Friday as all the scoring was produced in the second half. Quarterback Noah Deporto completed 11 of 18 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown while Alakai Santiago-Carmichael rushed for 115 yards on 16 carries and scored the other two touchdowns. This will be the first home game of the season for the Rough Riders who hail from Perris.

Prediction: Glenn 28, CMI 13

La Mirada High (2-0) @ Bellflower High (1-1)-After taking care of one former Suburban League opponent last week in a 38-0 win over Norwalk High in which La Mirada outgained the Lancers 351-88 through the first three quarters, the Matadores go on the road against another former Suburban League foe who they have won 11 straight games against. The last meeting between the schools came two seasons ago and La Mirada prevailed 20-6. The last time the Buccaneers defeated the Matadores came in 2011 by a 21-7 result.

Last Friday, Bellflower fell to Trabuco Hills High 28-24 as the Mustangs rallied from a deficit of 17-8 after three quarters and was trailing 24-21 in the fourth quarter to scoring the winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining. Quarterback Elacion Saxton was 16 of 25 for 179 yards and three touchdowns. The previous week, Bellflower was all over Santa Ana Valley High 42-7.

Prediction: La Mirada 35, Bellflower 21

Norwalk (0-2) @ Pasadena High (0-2)-It hasn’t been the season that first-year head coach Anthony Cobbs was looking for as the Lancers have been outscored in their first two games 98-7. Cobbs, who runs a different offensive style than the run and shoot activities that the program has been used to for years, is still moving parts here and there and trying to find some consistency.

A trio of quarterbacks-seniors Chazz Barnhill and Johnniele Madera and sophomore Jeremiah Lopez-have combined to complete 16 passes in 43 attempts for 113 yards and have found seven different receivers while seniors Jordan Ballinger and Erick Dominguez have combined for 128 yards on the ground.

Pasadena is in a similar situation, having lost to Golden Valley High 47-8 in the season opener and to Kennedy High 44-0 last Friday. In the other meeting between the two teams, Norwalk defeated the Bulldogs 42-34 almost a year ago.

Prediction: Norwalk 21, Pasadena 7

Last week’s predictions: 4-1

Season to date: 7-4

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

Artesia suffered their worst loss of the season in a 48-0 setback to Long Beach Wilson High this past Tuesday. The Pioneers (2-2) will host Cerritos in the Mid-Cities League opener on Wednesday.

In a battle featuring the two of the hottest teams in the area, Cerritos knocked off V.C. 20-2 to improve to 6-1 while the Defenders, in their first season of fielding a girls flag football program, dropped to 4-2. V.C. had defeated its previous two opponents by a combined score of 62-0. The last time the Defenders were scored on came in a 24-6 win at Artesia on Aug. 24.

V.C. also dropped a 49-13 decision to Millikan High this past Tuesday and went to Rosary Academy on Sept. 3. Before travelling to Village Christian High on Tuesday.

After dropping its Gateway League opener to Warren High on Aug. 26, Gahr (6-1) defeated Mayfair High 6-0 this past Monday and will visit Long Beach Jordan High on Tuesday and California High the next day.

Glenn (3-3) defeated South Gate High 33-25 this past Monday and will be off until Wednesday when the Eagles visit city rival Norwalk, which fell to Sonora High 37-6 this past Tuesday. The Lancers remain winless in eight games and have scored 13 points this season.

La Mirada (1-2) visits Santa Fe High on Saturday for its only action until hosting Paramount High on Sept. 14 while Whitney High (1-7) hosted Alhambra High on Sept. 3 and will welcome Whittier High on Wednesday.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Artesia swept Montebello High this past Tuesday to improve to 3-4 as the Pioneers will go to Long Beach Jordan on Friday before hosting La Mirada on Thursday while Cerritos (4-1) got past Whitney 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 18-25, 15-11 this past Monday and hosted Pacifica High on Sept. 3. The Dons will then spend the next two days participating in the Whittier Tournament before travelling to Troy High on Tuesday. Two days later, Cerritos will entertain Gahr, which fell to Sonora 22-25, 25-14, 20-25, 22-25 for its second loss in 13 matches this season. The Gladiators will participate in the Whittier Tournament on Friday and Saturday before entertaining Fountain Valley High on Tuesday.

Glenn (2-3) was swept by Workman High this past Tuesday and will host Long Beach Cabrillo High on Tuesday before going to Lynwood High on Thursday while La Mirada (3-8) fell to Pioneer High in four sets this past Tuesday. The Matadores will go to Diamond Bar High on Tuesday,

Norwalk swept California High 25-12, 25-11, 25-21 to increase its record to 7-4. The Lancers hosted Western High on Sept. 3 and will be the third area team competing in the Whittier Tournament before welcoming La Habra High on Tuesday and visiting La Serna High on Thursday.

V.C. improved to 6-3 with a 27-25, 25-15, 25-8 win over Bishop Amat High this past Tuesday, the fourth sweep this season. The Defenders are home to Ontario Christian High on Tuesday while Whitney (10-5) hosts Oxford Academy on Thursday.