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September 10, 2026
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
If there was an excellent opportunity for the Artesia High football team to get back into the win column, it is on Friday when the Pioneers visit Buena Park High in the HMG-Community News Game of the Week. For starters, the red and black face a team that is winless this season, and secondly, the Pioneers will be seeking revenge from last season when the Coyotes posted a 14-0 victory with touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters.
Under first-year head coach E.J. Ashby, the Pioneers shutout Gabrielino High 38-0 in the season opener, then defeated Hacienda Heights Wilson High 28-12 before falling to Gahr High 31-3 last Friday with the field goal coming in the second quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Samuel Whitfield was seven of 16 for 74 yards and an interception while junior running back Joshua Pettus was limited to 31 yards on five carries against Gahr. Senior wide receiver Makei Fitzgerald caught two of the seven passes for 52 yards while junior wide receiver Andrew Quarles also caught a pair of passes for 10 yards.
Buena Park dropped a 21-0 decision to Ocean View High on Sept. 3, the third straight game in which the Coyotes had allowed 21 points.
Against the Seahawks, quarterback Eli Yescas completed eight of 13 passes for 61 yards and was intercepted once while the running game was limited to nine yards on 13 carries. Wide receiver Angel Miranda caught three passes for 39 yards as Buena Park was outgained 365-73 with all the yardage coming from the ground game. This season, the Coyotes have gained 487 offensive yards.
Prediction: Artesia 28, Buena Park 7
IN OTHER GAMES ON FRIDAY
Marina High (0-3) @ Cerritos High (0-3)-After scoring 10 points in its first two games, Cerritos couldn’t keep up with Valley Christian High in a 50-28 contest last Friday. The Dons trailed 22-20 at the half but the Defenders sealed the game with three touchdowns in the final 12 minutes. Senior running back Sam Reeves picked up 126 yards on 13 carries and scored once while junior quarterback Evan McDonald passed for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Marina dropped a 27-21 decision to Fountain Valley High last Friday but has been outscored 104-56 this season. Quarterback Maverick Coverick was 19 of 30 for 196 yards and a touchdown while Ben Ramos gained 117 yards on 29 carries with a pair of touchdowns. For the season, Coverick has passed for close to yards with a pair of touchdowns and four interceptions while Ramos has gained 287 yards and scored four times.
“We’ve never played them before,” said Cerritos head coach Demel Franklin. “I like playing a team from Orange County because if you get to the playoffs, you’re probably going to end up playing an Orange County team at some point. So, it’s going to be interesting. I know they lost a lot of guys.”
Prediction: Cerritos 31, Marina 14
John Glenn High (3-0) @ Compton Early College (1-2)-Even though the season is just three weeks old, Glenn’s football program is on the verge of something that hasn’t happened for a long time. For starters, the Eagles have won three games for the first time since 2023, the fifth time in the past 10 seasons and sixth time since 2009. On top of that, the team has won three straight games for the first time since 2023 and a win over Compton Early College would mark the first time on over 30 seasons. The 2019 team started with three straight wins before falling to Bell Gardens High 66-14, then Western High 48-0.
Glenn blasted California Military Institute 43-6 last Friday, gaining control in the first half with 22 points. Junior quarterback Ryder Perez was 17 of 26 for 225 yards and four touchdowns and gained 41 more yards on five carries with another touchdown while sophomore wide receiver Kellen Huckelberry hauled in seven passes for 114 yards and caught three touchdowns. Those two have been the offensive leaders thus far as Perez has thrown for 548 yards and eight touchdowns while Huckelberry is shy of 300 receiving yards with half a dozen touchdowns.
Glenn has outscored their opponents 96-27 and face a team that is coming off a 27-0 win over West Adama High last Thursday.as The Rising Phoenix scored all but seven points in the second half. This is the second meeting between the teams as Glenn won last season’s game 48-13 and this is the third season the institution has had a football program. In 2024, CEC went 0-10 and last season the team won a pair of games. In the two losses, The Rising Phoenix were outscored 60-7.
Prediction: Glenn 35, Compton Early College 7
La Mirada High (3-0) @ Brea Olinda High (2-1)-It’s been a positively surprising start for La Mirada as the team continues to shine following a 24-15 victory over Bellflower High last Friday. The Matadores scored once in the third quarter to go up 17-7 and sealed the game early in the fourth quarter as senior quarterback Isaac Cuevas tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Adan Tedrick. Cuevas passed for 182 yards while Tedrick and sophomore wide receiver Kaiden Wardlow each caught 52 passes on a combined seven receptions.
Brea Olinda was all over Northwood High 39-14 last Friday to move above .500 for the second time this season. Quarterback Gavyn Nicholson was 10 of 15 for 2-8 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added 103 yards on 11 carries with three touchdowns. Both touchdowns he threw went to Evan Rivas-Melendez, who caught three passes for 50 yards. This is the first meeting between the two in over 20 seasons.
Prediction: La Mirada 31, Brea Olinda 21
Norwalk High (1-2) @ Venice High (1-2)-After Norwalk was outscored 98-7 in their first games, the Lancers produced a resounding 42-6 win over Pasadena High last Friday. Senior quarterback Johnniele Madera and sophomore Julian Lewis combined to go nine of 14 for 165 yards and a touchdown while senior quarterback Erick Dominguez gained 122 yards on 13 carries and scored twice as he and three other ball carriers combined for 216 yards off 27 rushes and five touchdowns.
Venice, from the CIF-Los Angeles City Section, dropped a 22-10 decision to Harvard-Westlake High as quarterback Benny Moreno completed 19 of 33 passes for 158 yards and gained 22 of the team’s 42 rushing yards on six carries. Justen Key also gained 22 yards on seven carries and scored the team’s lone touchdown.
Nowalk defeated the Gondoliers 28-27 last season, and this is the third straight road game for the Lancers.
Prediction: Norwalk 24, Venice 14
Ontario Christian High (2-1) @ Valley Christian (1-1-1)-A lot will be on the line when the once longtime Olympic League rivals meet for another intense rivalry. V.C. is coming off a 50-28 victory over Cerritos in which senior quarterback Graham Lunzer passed for five touchdowns and rushed for two more. He already has nearly 600 yards passing and 200 yards rushing, accounting for all 12 touchdowns the Defenders have totaled. Senior wide receiver Byron Louis is his favorite target, going to him 19 times for 329 yards.
Ontario Christian, which was 0-10 last season, defeated another former longtime Olympic League rival, Whittier Christian High 36-20 last Friday for its second straight win. The Knights scored twice in the first quarter and led 28-7 after three quarters. Quarterback Cole Fornelli completed 18 of 21 passes for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running back Nathan Maldonado rushed 13 times for 170 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.
Since 1998, V.C. has owned a 14-12 record against the Knights, including last season’s 56-0 victory which snapped a three-game skid,
“We know we’re in for another competitive game,” said V.C. head coach Brendan Chambers. “They’re much improved from last year; it’s not the same team and we’re not the same team as well. Both teams are different. They have a really good offensive line; a good running back and a new coach who is really organized and knows what he wants to do. So, we’re going to have a challenge defensively. I think, offensively, we should be able to score points. I think of Graham takes care of the football and finds the open receivers, and the offensive line plays like it did tonight, we should be able to put points on the board. But we know it’s going to be a different game than last year for sure.”
Prediction: V.C. 31, Ontario Christian 24
Last week’s predictions: 4-1
Season to date: 11-5
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
Artesia
Girls Flag Football (2-3) Girls volleyball (4-4)
Monday @ Savanna High Tuesday vs Whittier High
Wednesday @ Paramount High
Cerritos
Girls Flag Football (7-1) Girls volleyball (11-2)
Monday @ Santa Fe High Friday @ Bellflower-Gahr Volleyball Classic
Wednesday vs. La Mirada vs. W. Torrance High, MACES, Lakewood High
Saturday @ Bellflower-Gahr Volleyball Classic
Tuesday vs. Warren High
Gahr
Girls Flag Football (6-2) Girls volleyball (15-6)
Monday vs. Bellflower Friday @ Bellflower-Gahr Volleyball Classic
Wednesday vs. La Serna High vs. CAMS, Banning High, Torrance High
Saturday @ Bellflower-Gahr Volleyball Classic
Tuesday vs. La Serna
Glenn
Girls Flag Football (3-3) Girls volleyball (2-4)
Monday @ Whittier Tuesday vs. Pioneer High
Wednesday vs. Whitney High Thursday @ Bellflower
La Mirada
Girls Flag Football (1-3) Girls volleyball (3-10)
Monday vs. Paramount Tuesday @ Firebaugh High
Wednesday @ Cerritos Thursday @ Whittier
Norwalk
Girls Flag Football (0-9) Girls volleyball (12-7)
Wednesday vs. Pioneer Tuesday @ Paramount
Thursday @ Whitney
Valley Christian
Girls Flag Football (5-3) Girls volleyball (8-3)
Friday vs. Ontario Christian Friday @ La Jolla Tournament
Tuesday vs. Western Christian High vs. Poway High, Empire High, Del Norte High
Saturday @ La Jolla Tournament
Tuesday @ Maranatha High
Wednesday vs. Village Christian High
Whitney
Girls Flag Football (1-8) Girls volleyball (11-5)
Friday vs. Compton Early College Friday @ La Jolla Tournament
Monday vs. Pioneer Saturday @ La Jolla Tournament
Wednesday @ Glenn Tuesday vs. Downey High
Thursday vs. Norwalk
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