The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
First-year Lakewood coach Mario Morales is inheriting a tough schedule for the 2025 season that’s the same slate of games from the Lancers’ 2024 campaign.
The schedule is packed with local rivalries and stiff competition, including a pair of tough matchups through their first three games when they visit both Carlsbad on Aug. 22 and Edison on Sep. 5. Last year, Lakewood fell in week three to Edison, the reigning CIF-SS Division 3 champions, but opened their season with a win against Carlsbad, which is led by former Lakewood coach Thadd Macneal.
“That’s really important for us because those two teams have always had great programs,” Morales said of Edison and Carlsbad. “We’re gonna get to see where we’re at early in the season. We like playing against good programs to see where we’re at so we’re looking forward to those games.”
Sandwiched between those two games is a local matchup on Aug. 29 against St. Anthony, where Morales will host and coach against his former team. Morales spent 10 years with the Saints and led them to their first CIF–SS title in over 60 years in 2016, along with a new program record for wins in 2014.
“It’s no less important than our league games because it’s a Long Beach game, if you will,” he said. “We want to look good in our community and play hard to show people what we’re doing over here so that’s just as important as our Moore League games.”
Lakewood will round out its non-league schedule with its annual local rivalry against Mayfair on Sep. 12 in the battle for the Milk Bucket Trophy. Mayfair has been home to the trophy for the past eight years, but Lakewood had its closest shot last year in a 38-31 overtime loss.
“It’s an important and big game and I like having the intercity rivalry,” Morales said. “They also had a great year last year and we’re in the same conference, so we know they’re gonna be a great program again and we just want to make sure we make it competitive against a good program like theirs.”
Lakewood will open up Moore League play at Compton on Sep. 19, and they’ll face rival Millikan at Dehaven Stadium on Oct. 17 for the Hamilton Trophy. The Lancers will also have a highly-anticipated matchup against Long Beach Poly and former Lakewood coach Justin Utupo at home on Sep. 26.
The Lancers finished last year 4-2 in the Moore League, and faced their only two losses to Millikan and Poly despite putting up a competitive fight in the first half of either game.
“We need to play a complete game,” Morales said of the two matchups. “We can talk about how we hung in there against them but that means nothing. It’s about the final score after four quarters and we have to find a way to compete for four quarters.”
2025 Lakewood Football Schedule
8/22 – at Carlsbad
8/29 – vs. St. Anthony
9/5 – at Edison
9/12 – vs. Mayfair
9/19 – at Compton*
9/26 – vs. Long Beach Poly*
10/3 – vs. Cabrillo*
10/10 – at Jordan*
10/17 – at Millikan*
10/30 – vs. Wilson* (Senior Night)
* = Moore League game
