NEWS AND NOTES FROM PRESS ROW: Valley Christian to induct four legendary coaches at halftime of football game

September 17, 2026

By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X

When Valley Christian High hosted Ontario Christian High last Friday in the 72^nd Battle of the Shield football game, the school also celebrated the program’s 1986 CIF-Southern Section divisional championship. Now, the Defenders will celebrate the induction of a quartet of former coaches into their Coaches Hall of Fame, which expands to 19.

During halftime of the game against St. Anthony High, the second of four straight home games and the HMG-Community News Game of the Week, V.C. will induct former boys and girls tennis head coach Sheri Admiraal, former boys and girls cross country and track and field head coach Tim Becksvoort, Gene Bras, who coached half a dozen sports and is currently the decorated public address announcer for several of the school’s athletic teams and former girls soccer head coach Kim Looney, who is currently the girls athletic director.

V.C. is coming off a 42-29 win against Ontario Christian to improve to 2-1-1 and has scored at least 35 points in three games. Last Friday against the Knights, senior Graham Lunzer completed 14 of 17 passes for 181 yards and threw a touchdown while gaining 124 yards on 22 carries with two more touchdowns. Sophomore running back Tae Cooley rushed five times for 55 yards and scored twice while sophomore wide receiver Eli Zoetewey caught five passes for 92 yards.

Lunzer is closing in on 800 passing yards and has rushed for 306 yards while accounting for 15 of the team’s 18 touchdowns. The Defenders gained 403 yards on offense in defeating Ontario Christian for the second straight season and third time since 2018. It’s expected that they will have similar, if not better results, against winless St. Anthony.

The Saints dropped a 35-7 contest to St. Margaret’s High on Sept. 4 and have been outscored 79-32 in their three games. St. Anthony trailed 8-0 at the half and 21-7 entering the fourth quarter and has allowed 529 yards on the ground and 430 yards through the air. Last season, V.C. defeated St. Anthony 28-13 and has won three of the last four meetings with the downtown Long Beach-based school.

Prediction: V.C. 35, St. Anthony 7

GAME PLAYED ON SEPT. 17

Contreras Learning Center (0-4) @ Cerritos High (0-4)-Despite scoring 84 points in its last two games, the last thing Cerritos needs is another loss before its bye week. The Dons came up short in a ‘no defense necessary’ game against Marina High, falling 66-56. The halftime score was 38-12 in favor of the Vikings, and the host Dons scored 30 points in the fourth quarter. Cerritos yielded 537 yards to Marina, which picked up its first victory this season. The Dons have now given up 165 points while scoring 94.

Relief could be on the way against the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Cobras who have just over 30 members on the team and are coming off a 41-6 loss to Santee High. Contreras opened in 2006 and the best record the program has had came last season when it won eight games. The team has been outscored 179-28 in the four games.

Prediction: Cerritos 42, Contreras 7

GAMES PLAYED ON SEPT. 18

San Gabriel High (1-3) @ Artesia High (3-1)-It has been an interesting couple of weeks for Artesia’s football team, but the Pioneers bounced back from a 31-3 loss to Gahr High with a 17-7 win over Buena Park High last Friday. All the scoring came in the second half as junior running back Justin Pettus gained 162 yards on eight carries with a fourth quarter clinching touchdown and junior free safety Andrew Qiarles returned an interception 37 yards to the house late in the third quarter.

San Gabriel is on a three-game losing streak after falling to Costa Mesa High 45-7 last Friday. Since winning their season opener over Glendale High 20-16, the Matadores have been outscored 106-13 during the three-game slide. Costa Mesa scored three touchdowns each in the first and second quarters to gain a 42-7 halftime lead. Last season, in the only other meeting between the programs in over 30 seasons, San Gabriel came out on top 34-22 as Pettus rushed for 121 yards on 15 carries and scored once.

“Next week is going to be important,” said Artesia first-year head coach E.J. Ashby on the San Gabriel game. “Just like Buena Park beat us last year, San Gabriel beat us last year as well and a lot of these players who are juniors, were sophomore starters that game. A lot of them are itching; they know that they want revenge. They know they need momentum going into homecoming [on Oct. 2] because we have Pioneer in our first league game.”

Prediction: Artesia 31, San Gabriel 7

Ocean View High (3-1) @ Gahr (2-0-1)-After having last week off to reflect on its two wins and tie against the two ABC Unified School District schools with an 11-man football program and its Artesia Blvd. neighbors, Gahr is back in action against an Ocean View team that has won three straight including last Friday’s 42-28 decision over Linfield Christian High.

A trio of running backs have topped 100 yards for the Gladiators, led by junior Branden Martinez (20 carries, 282 yards, two touchdowns). Gahr will have to rely on its running game as nine different players have combined to catch 15 passes for 188 yards, and no player has more than four receptions.

The Seahawks are averaging more than 30 points a game and against Linfield Christian, they scored 14 points each in the second and third quarters to open a 35-14 lead. Ocean View is a running team as quarterback Trevor Vaivao, who completed two passes in three attempts for 66 yards, gained 168 yards on the ground and scored twice. The Seahawks rushed 42 times and picked up 349 yards against the Lions.

For the season, Vaivao has gained 546 yards and scored seven times while the team has eclipsed the 1,200-yard mark and is averaging 312 yards on the ground. Ocean View fell to Gahr 43-35 in 2024 and 43-7 the season before.

Prediction: Ocean View 38, Gahr 28

El Rancho High (4-0) @ La Mirada High (3-1)-An encouraging start to the season for La Mirada was briefly halted last Friday in a 49-28 loss to Brea Olinda High. The game was a one-possession contest until the Wildcats scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. Senior Josiah Fregoso scored two touchdowns and senior quarterback Isaac Cuevas tossed one more.

El Rancho is coming off a 47-28 win over Montebello High and has scored at least 25 points in three of the four wins, Quarterback Adrian Lopez was 26 of 37 for 288 yards and five touchdowns with three going to Nathan Carlos and the other two to Andres Centeno. Braylon Morrison rushed for 175 yards on 16 carries as El Rancho picked up over 250 yards from the ground and through the air. This is the first meeting between the two in at least 30 years.

Prediction: El Rancho 31, La Mirada 21

Last week’s predictions: 4-2

Season to date: 15-7

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

League play has started for the area teams and Artesia was blanked by Cerritos 20-0 on Sept. 9 in the Mid-Cities League opener before posting a 25-0 victory over Savanna High this past Monday. The Pioneers (3-4, 0-1) faced Paramount High this past Wednesday and will travel to La Mirada on Monday before going to Santa Fe High on Wednesday.

Cerritos improved to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in league play after a 22-8 win over Santa Fe this past Monday. After hosting La Mirada this past Wednesday, the Dons will travel to Paramount on Wednesday.

In Gateway League action, Gahr blanked Bellflower High 12-0 this past Monday to improve to 8-2, 2-2 as the Gladiators entertained La Serna High this past Wednesday and will host Warren High on Monday before going to Mayfair High on Wednesday.

John Glenn High dropped a 21-0 decision to Whittier High in its Mid-Cities League opener this past Monday to fall to 3-4 overall. The Eagles welcomed Whitney High and will host Oxford Academy on Monday before going to Pioneer High two days later.

La Mirada (2-4, 1-1) dropped a 6-0 affair to Paramount this past Monday after defeating Paramount by the same score in the Mid-Cities League opener while Norwalk High remained winless in nine contests this season. The Lancers entertained Pioneer High this past Wednesday and will go to Whitney on Monday before hosting Whittier on Wednesday.

V.C., in its first season of fielding a girls flag football program, dropped a 35-7 contest to Western Christian High this past Tuesday to fall to 6-4 overall. The Defenders will travel to Fairmont Prep on Monday and Whitney (1-10, 0-1 in the Mid-Cities League) on Wednesday.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Artesia was swept by Whittier this past Tuesday just five days after dropping a five-set match to La Mirada. The Pioneers are 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the Rio Vista League as they will host Firebaugh High on Tuesday before going to Mayfair on Thursday.

Glenn swept Pioneer this past Tuesday in a 605 League match to improve to 3-5, 1-1 as the Eagles visited Bellflower on Sept. 17 before hosting California High on Tuesday.

La Mirada (5-16, 1-1) fell to Firebaugh in a five-set Rio Vista League match this past Tuesday and went to Whitter on Sept. 17 before hosting Mayfair on Tuesday in the first of four straight home matches through Oct. 6.

Norwalk (12-8, 1-0) defeated Paramount 25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-12 this past Tuesday in its Mid-Cities League opener as the Lancers travelled to Whitney on Sept. 17 and will go to Santa Fe on Tuesday before hosting Oxford Academy on Thursday.

After going 4-1 in the La Jolla Tournament last Friday and Saturday, V.C. swept Maranatha High 25-17, 25-19, 25-16 this past Tuesday in its Olympic League opener. The Defenders (13-4, 1-0) hosted Village Christian High this past Wednesday and will go to Bishop Montgonery High and Heritage Christian High on Monday and Tuesday, respectively before hosting Whittier Christian High on Thursday.