The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
It was a night of many firsts for Compton’s football team. Not only was it the first game of the season, but it was also the debut of their new spread offensive scheme. They found success using strong execution and aggressive defense to defeat Rancho Dominguez 35-22 on Friday at Compton City College.
“We played like we were doing something different,” said Compton coach Calvin Bryant. “We got a good feeling of what we like to do, flexed our strengths, and settled in nicely throughout the game.”
Despite some turnover issues, it was an effective start to the season for sophomore quarterback Francis Mandera. He finished the night with four touchdowns and three interceptions while passing for over 250 yards.
Compton utilized all their weapons offensively with multiple players finding the end zone. Ronnie Mixon was the leading receiver, with two touchdown catches and wide receivers Diontae Dale and Nathan Willard also reaching the end zone. Despite this new offense being more pass-heavy, Compton still found success with the ground game, as junior Ameer Freeman finished with over 100 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Compton was also aggressive on defense, as Rancho quarterback Davonte Foley was sacked six times and under pressure all night long from pass rushers Truth Taavao, Troy Joyner, Nate Willard, and Danzell Lloyd, who all recorded multiple tackles for losses. Diontae Dale also had a pick off Foley, and the Tarbabe’s defense forced 5 punts and 2 turnovers on the night.
“We got a lot of great weapons offensively and have cohesion on defense,” said Bryant. “We just gotta try to avoid injuries and make sure we all keep executing going forward”
After a slow start on offense, Compton found momentum midway through the first quarter on a 52-yard completion to Dale downfield, which would’ve been an 80-yard touchdown had it not been called back because of a holding penalty. Nevertheless, Compton still drove the ball into the endzone, with Freeman capping off the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run.
After exchanging a pair of turnovers, Compton marched down to the red zone again and Mandera connected with Ronnie Mixon on a beautiful 14-yard touchdown pass on 4th down. Compton then ceded a touchdown to Rancho Dominguez after a 17-yard run, but immediately responded with an impressive 40-yard catch and run from Dill. Compton headed into halftime with a 21-6 lead.
The 2nd half also showed off Compton’s revamped offense, as their first possession of the half concluded with a 55 yard catch and run by Nate Willard, who broke three tackles and flexed his speed and agility down the field. Compton’s final touchdown came on another floater from Mandera to Mixon, who caught the touchdown pass in nearly the same spot as he did in the first half. Rancho Dominguez’s other scores came on a 30-yard completion to Ryan Ashby and a last-second hail mary caught by Michael Hawkins.
“I thought this new system worked fairly well,” said Bryant. “The turnovers hurt us, and we still need to figure out what positions work best, who can do things the right way, who can execute down the stretch. But as a coach, you’re always gonna have that critical eye and try to make the system the best it can be.”
Despite the victory, Bryant still believes the learning aspect matters more in these exhibition games, with Moore League play just around the corner.
“We’re happy this is a victory, but it’s more important to grow from every game and try to make more progress each week, which I hope we can and will continue to do,” said Bryant.
Compton will look to continue this early season momentum when they travel to face Centennial High School next Thursday.
