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.
Barstow, California’s motto is the “Crossroads of Opportunity.”
That’s where the Millikan Rams will be standing on Friday night as they make the 121-mile trek into the Mojave Desert for their CIF-SS Division 7 quarterfinal against Barstow High at 7 p.m.
The quarterfinal round is a hurdle that Millikan Football has been looking to clear for decades, enduring three playoff exits at this stage between 2017-22.
But the 2026 Rams need not worry about history–even the most recent stuff. Critics were quick to write Millikan off after an 0-6 start, but a depleted roster going against an unforgiving schedule can yield unsavory results.
Millikan is clearly talented enough to win the Division 7 bracket, and Coach Pellum is doing everything in his power to put this team in a position to succeed, leaving on Thursday night to stay in Barstow, avoiding a long bus ride on game day.
“Being a former college, professional athlete, and a lot of our coaches either being college or professional athletes, we know what it’s like to travel and have to play the same day, and that’s just brutal on the body,” Pellum explained. “We’re blessed to be in a position to be able to stay in a hotel, and we’re gonna not only save our legs and rest, but we’re gonna give our kids an experience that they would get in college … So we’ll be rested, and that won’t be an excuse. When you’re in this position where it’s win or go home, it’s whatever it takes to give us the edge to try to be ready.”
The Rams will face a Barstow team that’s 7-4 on the season, coming off a 41-14 road win at Pacifica Garden Grove last Thursday. The Aztecs will get an extra day to recover and scout after starting the playoffs a day early, and they have a 4-1 record at home this season.
Their offense runs through senior QB Jarvis Applewhite, who leads the team with 671 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns to go along with his 1,233 passing yards and 14 TDs through the air. He doesn’t have a go-to target on the outside as no receiver has more than 36 catches or 375 yards receiving, so the ball should get spread around.
Defensively, senior Jayden Douglas has 11 sacks on the season to lead the Barstow defense, which hasn’t allowed more than 28 points in any game this season.
Meanwhile, Millikan (4-7) has won four of its last five games, including a resilient 28-17 victory last week at La Canada.
The Rams will be looking to get their home-run hitters involved on the outside, especially Kansas commit Jay Williams, who leads the team with 500 receiving yards and 6 TDs in the regular season. If the Aztecs don’t utilize safety help over the top, Williams has the size and speed to beat most high school corners, and Millikan QB Jonah Tuaniga has the arm strength to find him. You also can’t sleep on junior Aden Taufa, who has gotten the ball in a variety of ways in Millikan’s offense.
Junior Ryan Carter remains the focal point of the running game, and he had a pair of rushing TDs in last week’s victory. He’s also been a weapon catching the ball out of the backfield, and adds toughness and explosiveness to the Rams’ offense.
Millikan’s defensive line has been the standout unit over the second half of the season, finally at full strength and able to dominate. Aden Muasau leads the team in sacks, and Toloai Toloai had the game-sealing Pick 6 against La Canada. Along with Jesse Laumasima and others, if their physicality can disrupt the Barstow running game and get Applewhite thinking twice, it could be a good night for Millikan.
“I think we got better as the week went on. I think we had a really, really good day today,” said Pellum after Wednesday’s practice. “We gradually got better. Monday was a slower day for us, and then Tuesday is a big physical day. We got after it yesterday, and then today we just cleaned it up, and it looked really nice. I like where we are.”
Standing at the “Crossroads of Opportunity,” the Rams can either get turned down a familiar path of quarterfinal disappointment, or make some program history by advancing further than any Millikan team this century.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Friday night in Barstow.
