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Football Millikan

Flag Football Preview: Millikan Rams

The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.

From year one to year two, the Millikan flag football program flourished in both participation and performance, earning a CIF-SS Division 3 playoff win in last year’s inaugural postseason. While the program’s trajectory remains upward in 2025 with a talented but young roster, coach Romeo Pellum plans to take things one game at a time.

“That’s the approach; we just gotta take it one game at a time,” he said. “We need to be consistent and do what we’re coached to do every week. These girls do a really good job. We’re a very young team, but they’re very athletic. If we listen and do what we do in practice, then I think we’ll be in good shape.”

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Millikan senior Kate Martin has been on the flag football team for all three years of its existence.

With flag football in just its third year, Millikan will once again feature several first-time players this season. The Rams only return three seniors from last year including three-year athlete Kate Martin, a receiver and defensive back who brings the most experience and will serve as a key vocal leader.

“I’m just trying to be like an older sister to them,” Martin said of leading her younger teammates. “They’re very good and they honestly don’t need that much coaching. So it’s more of just giving them guidance since I’m an older girl on the team.”

Heading into her third and final year on the team, Martin thinks she’s grown the most offensively since last year. She feels she understands the offense better and has been running her routes with more purpose.

The Rams also return an important veteran presence on defense with senior Nikki Cheshire along with their only other returning senior in wide receiver Kayla Cisneros. Junior Holly Ibarra will be back at quarterback for Millikan along with another young returner in sophomore Sophia Romo.

Pellum expects a couple of freshmen to step up on varsity this year including Charlie Enriquez and Alyssa Carrillo. Enriquez will contribute as both a receiver and defensive back while Carrillo has developed this offseason into Millikan’s primary running back.

“They both do a damn good job and they’re impact players as just freshmen,” Pellum said of the pair. “Again, we’re young and the future is bright.”

Millikan is 2-2 to begin the season and opened with a pair of wins against Mayfair and St. Mary’s Academy. The Rams finished 7-3 in the Moore League last season, splitting games with Lakewood and dropping both matchups against Long Beach Poly. Millikan will start league play against Poly on Monday.

“Probably winning the [Moore League] this year,” Martin said of her team’s goal. “I really think we can do it. Our team has grown so much, so that’s definitely the goal this year.”

Eli Aquino
Eli Aquino began working with The562 as part of its inaugural intern class in 2021 and continued throughout high school as a freelancer. He joined The562’s staff in 2024 and was later promoted to Editorial Associate & Staff Writer. He is currently entering his second year at Long Beach State.