The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
The last time the Millikan Rams stood alone atop the Moore League football standings, Richard Nixon was in the White House and U.S. troops were still fighting in Vietnam.
After Friday night’s 51-0 win over Compton on Homecoming, it’s time to update those record books. Rams head coach Romeo Pellum hoisted the Moore League trophy after the game, as his team secured the program’s second outright championship, and first since 1973.
“I’m definitely proud of this team,” said Pellum after the win. “From the coaches to the players, to the managers, to the support staff, they all do a hell of a job. Our administration is very supportive, our athletic director is very supportive. It took a full team effort to get to where we are now. This was great, but it’s over now. Our next goal is to do something else. I’m gonna live in it now for tonight, but after this, no one’s gonna care. It’s what have you done for me lately? Now it’s time for us to go 1-0 again every week and see where we go.”
The Rams started fast and won the game with explosive offense, putting up 51 points on just 18 plays from scrimmage. Their running back tandem of Anthony League and Xavier Jones did a lot of the heavy lifting behind Millikan’s vaunted O-Line, as both players went over 100 yards with a pair of TDs.
Jones in particular was a big play threat, amassing 138 yards on just three touches, breaking off TD runs of 60 and 48 yards to go along with a 30-yard catch.
“It feels amazing,” said Jones of the team’s performance. “Just balling on the field with my brothers as usual. It felt like a normal practice actually, just getting better on our craft, making sure we get ready for playoffs.”
League also made some personal history with his performance, setting a new single-season rushing yards record for the Rams, according to the Millikan coaching staff. The likely Moore League Player of the Year had 171 total yards on six touches, breaking off a 63-yard catch-and-run TD on the third play of the night, then going 84 yards on the ground on Millikan’s first play of the second half to make it 39-0.
Millikan’s 1-2 punch in the backfield has been their calling card this season, and Jones loves the chance to trade off with League as both guys continue to put up numbers.
“It’s been extremely fun, especially playing with a person like League,” Jones said. “He knows a lot. He’s a really smart player, so I’ve learned a lot from him. Me and him just go off each other. If one of us is tired or one is getting hot, just leave them in. If you get tired, you get tired, but I will say, if you get hawked, you’re coming out.”
Millikan made sure defenders weren’t able to track them down as they put up a number of long touchdowns, with six of their scores coming from 40+ yards out and and four from 60+ yards.
The shortest touchdown of the night went to one of the biggest guys on the field, as offensive lineman Jessie Wishon got to run one in from two yards out, scoring his first career touchdown for the Rams. Wishon has been a four-year starter up front, playing in all but one game for Millikan over his career with 44 games and counting, perhaps the most in program history.
JP Mialovski connected with Jude Nelson for a 69-yard TD toss in the second quarter, giving him two TD tosses on the evening. In the fourth quarter, backup QB Elijah Quinonez linked up with Diamond Graham for a 46-yard TD toss to close the scoring.
Compton battled throughout the night but had a tough time moving the ball after the first quarter. Their first drive of the night was a 10+ minute march into Millikan territory with 12 consecutive run plays. Running back Nate Willard led the way with 18 carries for 55 yards and QB Diontae Dill ran 15 times for 34 yards.
But Friday’s game was about the new era for Millikan Football, and the program being in a place it hasn’t been for decades. They shared a Moore League title in 1985, but haven’t made it back to the top since then. Given that fact, the Millikan community has been brimming with excitement over the past three weeks, seeing a huge win over Poly, a rivalry win over Lakewood, and now the completion of an unbeaten league season–with commemorative T-shirts to mark the occasion.
“They’re just excited, man,” said Pellum of the community response the last few weeks. “Some people say they wish that DeHaven was still alive and that some of the older guys were still here to see where the program is now. And finally there’s a coach here that’s doing it the right way and putting Millikan on the map, and they’re just excited. You know, I love this community. I love this city. I’m a Long Beach guy through and through and it’s what I do it for.”
Compton has one more game remaining on its schedule, as they’ll host Poly next Friday night at Dominguez. Meanwhile, Millikan gets the bye next week as they rest up for the playoffs.
That’s when the dream season will roll on for Pellum and the Rams, continuing a special season for the entire Pellum family. With his younger brother, Ryan, playing on the No. 1-ranked team in college football and his son, Malachi, balling out at the youth level, it’s been a constant celebration in the Pellum group chat.
“A couple weeks ago it was crazy. We beat Poly, Oregon beat Ohio State, and Malachi went off in his game. It was a good weekend to be a Pellum,” Romeo said. “Hopefully we have many more weekends like that.”
