The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
An experienced, confident Millikan Rams (7-3, 1-0) team opened their Moore League title defense with a solid win on Wednesday evening, taking down the Wilson Bruins (10-4, 0-1) by a score of 26-7 at DeHaven Stadium.
The Rams scored on each of their first three drives, and led 19-0 before Wilson had even crossed midfield. That hot start proved to be the difference as both defenses settled in, and there were no points scored in the second half.
“It was good for us to start fast,” said Millikan head coach Romeo Pellum. “We know Wilson hasn’t given up many points this season, and we were unsure what it would be like not having any film on them, but our girls showed up. They showed out.”
Senior QB Holly Ibarra led the charge with four TD passes in the first half, with her first two going to sophomore standout Charlie Enriquez on Millikan’s first two possessions. Wilson only ran one play on offense in-between those Ibarra-to-Enriquez scoring strikes, and it was an interception by another Millikan sophomore, Penelope Cleven.
On the Rams’ third drive, Ibarra made a nice play to step up into the pocket and unleash a deep ball on the money to Cleven waiting in the end zone, giving Millikan a 19-0 advantage just over nine minutes into the game.
Wilson was able to find its footing in the second quarter, as freshman Skylar Metcalf picked off a pass in the end zone, then immediately made a play on offense. From her QB spot, Metcalf bought time and hit classmate London Ayer up the seam, as she made a great grab above her head and won the foot race to the endzone to get the Bruins on the board.
The Rams responded before halftime as Ibarra dumped the ball off to Charlotte Torres, who stormed through the middle of the Wilson defense all the way to pay dirt, giving Millikan its winning margin of 26-7.
Millikan’s defense preserved the win in the second half, recording three of the team’s four interceptions on the night as Cass Mitchell, Alani Rodriguez, and Sophia Romo joined Cleven in the INT club.
Rodriguez was a force for Millikan’s defense, adding four sacks and a few more tackles for loss to help keep Wilson’s offense in check.
“We were cooking, man,” said Pellum of his defense’s performance. “I think we took a step in the right direction. Now we’ve gotta go back and watch it tomorrow and get ready for (Lakewood and Poly) next week.”
On the other side, the Bruins were able to clamp down on Ibarra in the second half with their pass rush. Senior Norah Zamora and sophomore Kira Ines led the way for the Bruins’ stop unit. Zamora recorded 1.5 sacks in the second half and made a terrific play to tip a pass at the line and track down an interception. Ines, meanwhile, was elite as a pass rusher, recording 4.5 sacks in the second half alone.
Both teams will be back in action on Monday, traveling for rivalry matchups to continue Moore League play. Wilson will be at Long Beach Poly for a 5 p.m. contest and Millikan visits Lakewood at 6:30 p.m.
