The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
Lakewood will look to bounce back from a difficult season opener when the Lancers travel to Paramount Friday night for a nonleague matchup against the Pirates.
The Lancers (0-1) opened their season with a 48-3 loss against Corona del Mar, as a young Lakewood team struggled to find its footing against an experienced Sea Kings squad. Corona del Mar jumped out to a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back.
While the result wasn’t what Lakewood hoped for, coach Mario Morales viewed the opener as an opportunity for a young roster to see where it needs to improve.
“That’s exactly what it is,” Morales said of the opener being something to grow from. “It’s a learning moment for us and not just the players, but the coaches too. Going up against what they do, offensively and defensively, and they’re very well-coached. They’re fundamentally sound, and that’s good for us to get better, right? That’s a measuring gauge for us to see where we’re at and where we have to get to.”
Morales knew there would be some growing pains with several new faces stepping into bigger roles this season, and Friday’s matchup will give the Lancers another opportunity to see how quickly that group can develop.
Senior quarterback Aidan Kautsky and the offense will also look for a better start this week after Lakewood struggled to sustain drives in the opener.
The Pirates (1-0) opened the year with a dominant 31-0 road victory over Roosevelt, giving Paramount plenty of momentum heading into its home opener. The shutout was an encouraging start for the Pirates after finishing 3-7 last season.
For the Lancers, the matchup is less about erasing everything that happened against Corona del Mar and more about showing progress from Week 1. Lakewood’s young players now have a full varsity game under their belts and Morales will get another look at how his team responds to adversity.
The Lancers will need to be more consistent on both sides of the ball after allowing Corona del Mar to take control early in the opener. A stronger start could give Lakewood an opportunity to settle into the game and establish the rushing attack rather than playing from behind.
Friday also provides another measuring stick for a Lakewood team that is still figuring out what it can become this season. After facing an experienced Corona del Mar program in the opener, the Lancers will get a different challenge against a Paramount team looking to build on the confidence of a season-opening shutout.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Paramount.
