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 Millikan Athletics for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser and the Timu Foundation.
It was a refreshing feeling for the Millikan football program on Friday night. The Rams (2-6, 2-0) hosted Jordan (0-8, 0-2) for homecoming and dominated the Panthers, jumping out to an early lead with a high-scoring first quarter before cruising to a 60-14 blowout win.
“It’s a big win,” said Millikan coach Romeo Pellum. “It had a lot of good for us with some things to correct. All in all, I think it was a lot better execution-wise compared to last week, and we just need to capitalize on that. It shows growth in the program that we were finally able to put it together, but now it’s time for us to put it together in a big game.”
Millikan put up five touchdowns in the first quarter alone en route to a running-clock second half, led by an efficient performance from athlete Aden Tafua. The junior’s first-quarter stat line consisted of three offensive touches, three touchdowns and an interception. Tafua finished with two rushes for 61 yards and two scores along with a six-yard touchdown reception.
“It was a pretty good night. It was honestly shocking to me in the first quarter—I shocked myself,” Tafua said after the game. “It was good, but I can still do some more work. There’s always more room to grow, and especially for next week with the Poly game, so a lot of studying and work to put in.”
It was a great opportunity for sophomore quarterback Jonah Tuaniga to build some momentum this season, as he finished 8-of-14 for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Darius Bennett finished as Millikan’s leading receiver with three catches for 105 yards and a score, while running back Ryan Carter carried the ball 10 times for 67 yards.
Millikan was able to carry that momentum into all phases of the game, coming up with five total takeaways between defense and special teams. Both phases also produced touchdowns, as Bennett added his second score on a 79-yard kickoff return while Matteo Palma had a pick-six in the win.
“That was huge,” Pellum said of his team’s defensive performance. “We harp on these things in practice and they did a hell of a job today getting takeaways. We always want to take the ball away. There’s standards that we have that we live by, and I think we took care of them tonight.”
That defense shut out Jordan in the first half while allowing the Panthers to run just 10 offensive plays. Meanwhile, Millikan’s offense produced three scores in the first four minutes of the game alone, including both of Tafua’s rushing touchdowns to open the game, which came just two offensive plays apart.
Millikan then forced its first turnover by recovering the ensuing kickoff, setting up a one-play drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Tuaniga to Jay Williams to put the Rams up by three touchdowns.
Tuaniga would continue that success through the passing game on each of the Rams’ next two possessions, as the sophomore first linked up with Bennett on a screen pass that went 72 yards for a touchdown. An interception from Josh Miyake then set the Rams back up in Jordan territory, where Tuaniga found Tafua for a six-yard touchdown.
Millikan then got an interception from Tafua before the end of the first quarter, before Jordan found its first score in the second. The Panthers came up with a scoop-and-score from Patrick Moye after a forced fumble by Jakob Peapea on the running back, cutting the Millikan lead to 35-8.
The Rams would add one last score before halftime, as Bennett fielded the ensuing kickoff and returned it for a 79-yard touchdown to give Millikan a 43-8 lead at the break. After the halftime homecoming festivities, Millikan came out of the break with a running clock in the second half and was able to rest the bulk of its starters.
Millikan would still add to its stat-stuffing night, though, as Matteo Palma came up with his pick-six to open the half. Soren Jensen then came up with a fumble recovery on the Rams’ ensuing defensive possession, which would later set up a 32-yard field goal from kicker Brody Gonzalez.
Millikan added a touchdown on its next drive to cap the scoring, led by a nice drive from running back Joshua White. White finished the game with four carries for 46 yards, including a four-yard touchdown on a drive in the fourth quarter.
Jordan put together its best drive on its final possession of the game, as Caydyn Hampton found Samajay Jackson with a couple of nice connections, including a nine-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. Hampton finished the game 9-of-19 for 119 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
The Panthers also had a nice game from running back Khayiel Wisner, who carried the ball 14 times for 123 yards.
Both teams will be in action next week, as Millikan hosts Long Beach Poly in one of Nike LA’s rivalry games, while Jordan will be on the road at Lakewood.
