The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The Millikan Rams will be in town on Friday night at Wilson to kickoff the Bruins’ Moore League opener at 7 pm.
After their first five games this season, it’s become hard to imagine a game where the Rams don’t feed the ball to running back Anthony League. Running behind a stout offensive line, the Cal commit is already up to 685 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, and he even took his linemen out for sandwiches recently to thank them for all their hard work in the trenches.
League runs alongside fellow RB Xavier Jones, and the pair have contributed to over 1,300 rushing yards for Millikan so far this season. When they elect to throw the ball, QB JP Mialovski can also deliver, throwing for 242 yards and three touchdowns in the Rams win over Cabrillo last week.
The Bruins will look to get right back to work coming out of their bye week after a productive round of non-league play. Wilson picked up lopsided wins against Portola, Sunny Hills, and California.
Junior QB Mack Cooper has been the signal caller for the Bruins, and he’ll likely look to drop back and find his favorite target Maxwell Barbee as he’s done all season. Barbee has already collected five touchdowns this season through just four games.
Wilson was hoping to get about a dozen transfers eligible for this game after they sat out the preseason. However, the CIF Southern Section denied most of the transfers per the rules concerning not following a coach (Bylaws 200 and 510.B.-E). These transfers came from Lawndale HS, where Wilson coach Travis Clark coached them last season.
The official statement from the school is, “Wilson High School believes that all students should have the opportunity to participate in athletics, adhering to the CIF regulations. While we respect the CIF’s decisions, we also recognize the impact of these outcomes on our students and their families.”
One of the transfers is running back Duce Weston, who is a highly-touted recruit. The senior came to Wilson this year with his dad, Sean, who is also the defensive coordinator. Weston has sat out every game this season alongside his former Lawndale teammates. He is eligible, according to the CIF-SS website, but it will be a coaches decision if he plays tonight, and coach Clark did not return phone calls this week.
The Rams have dominated the Moore League matchup in recent years, winning six of their last seven meetings, including four straight.
