For the first time in more than 50 years, the Millikan Rams will be defending an outright Moore League football championship in 2025, and head coach Romeo Pellum has assembled another unique and challenging schedule for his squad.
Millikan will take another out-of-state trip, play some compelling rematches, and face a quality home slate that should keep the fans at DeHaven Stadium buzzing all season long.
“We’re excited about it, and we’re just gonna take it one game at a time,” said Pellum of the 2025 schedule. “We have a lot of unfinished business from last year with a couple of teams, and we’re gonna put our best foot forward.”
Millikan’s season will begin with a trip out to Henderson, Nevada, for a matchup with the Foothill High Falcons on Friday, Aug. 15. That not only gives the Rams the chance to travel to another state for competition, it also starts their season a week early.
“It’s huge for bonding. A five-hour bus ride, staying in a hotel, the whole thing, it’s huge,” said Pellum of what he describes as a business trip. “Another thing is for us to figure out how to deal with that heat and the adversity that we may face … We try to do a lot of team bonding stuff and there’s nothing better than spending a weekend with your teammates, you’re literally going to be together for 72 hours.”
Foothill had an interesting 2024 season, starting out 5-0 before losing their last six games of the season, including a 50-0 loss to national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School from Las Vegas.
Millikan’s home opener will be the following Friday night as they host a rematch with Newbury Park on Aug. 22. Led by star QB Brady Smigiel, the Panthers went 14-1 last season, winning the CIF-SS Division 2 title. They beat Millikan 52-15 in last year’s season opener, and with Smigiel back for his senior season it will be no easy task for the Rams to earn their revenge.
Speaking of revenge, the Rams will travel to Downey on Sept. 5 for a rematch with the Vikings, following up the classic game they played in 2024. Millikan ended up on the wrong end of a 69-68 thriller, one of the highest-scoring games in California history. Downey also ended up in the Division 2 bracket for the postseason, and will return talented senior QB Oscar Rios this fall.
“That’s a five-star quarterback at Newbury Park, and a four-star quarterback at Downey, probably the best quarterbacks we’ll play all year,” Pellum said of the matchups. “And two of the top quarterbacks in the state of California, so I think that’s really good for us.”
Sandwiched between those games is a home matchup against Loyola on Aug. 29, representing a tough challenge for both squads. The Cubs were in the Division 3 playoffs last season, the same bracket as Millikan, and are a respected local program with great tradition.
“Historically, Loyola is a really good program in Southern California and the coach does a good job there,” Pellum said. “And as we look at the competitive equity, we have to be able to compete with teams that we will potentially see in the playoffs. We have to play that level of competition (in non-league), because you don’t get that in the Moore League, other than the one time with Poly.”
That highly-anticipated rematch against Poly is scheduled for Oct. 10 and will be hosted by the Jackrabbits. That game is followed by the annual rivalry showdown against Lakewood on Oct. 17, which will also serve as Homecoming and Senior Night for the Rams.
Millikan displayed unprecedented dominance over the rest of the Moore League in 2024, winning every game by 13 points or more, with only Poly getting within 35 points of the Rams.
Once again, Millikan will cut its teeth against a strong non-league slate as they go from hunter to hunted in 2025, looking to win back-to-back Moore League titles for the first time in program history.
2025 Millikan Rams Football Schedule:
8/15 – at Foothill (Henderson, Nev.)
8/22 – vs. Newbury Park
8/29 – vs. Loyola
9/5 – at Downey
9/12 – BYE
9/19 – vs. Cabrillo*
9/26 – vs. Wilson*
10/3 – at Jordan*
10/10 – at Long Beach Poly*
10/17 – vs. Lakewood*
10/24 – at Compton*
* = Moore League game
