The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
For the first time in the Romeo Pellum era, the Millikan Rams will begin their playoff journey at home. The Moore League champions are in an intriguing Division 3 bracket, hosting Crean Lutheran on Friday night at DeHaven Stadium.
“That’s huge. To be able to have a home game, especially with the momentum that we have here,” said Pellum of the draw. “You think about the big games that were here–Downey was a big game, we lost by a point. Upland, one of the biggest games we’ve had in my career here, and then also the Poly game. Those big games we’ve played here. So to have that, it’s a blessing.”
Both teams enter the CIF-SS playoffs at 8-2, with the Saints finishing second place in the Epsilon League. They were just behind La Habra, who beat them 15-13 on Oct. 18. The Saints’ other loss this year was a 23-9 loss against San Juan Hills during non-league play.
Crean Lutheran is a program on a rapid rise under head coach Rick Curtis. After going 1-9 in 2021 and missing the playoffs, they’ve gone on a steady climb to Division 8, then Division 6, and now the Division 3 bracket in 2024.
Pellum was actively watching film to get a gameplan going, but acknowledged that Crean is a winning private school program with a lot of talent. One that will give his team a test in the first round.
Meanwhile, the Rams are rolling this year with seven wins in a row, and they’ve averaged nearly 50 points per game overall. After a season-opening loss at undefeated Newbury Park, the Rams have scored 37 or more in every game since. Millikan has scored 50+ on seven occasions, including their last four games to close the season. This will be their second season in a row competing in Division 3.
Coming off a bye week, Pellum said he’s pleased with where his team is at. They should be rested and ready to go, hoping to play for several more weeks while taking it one game at a time.
“I think we had a good off-week of practice. It was an off-week physically with no contact, but we really got after it in practice,” Pellum said. “So we should be fresh and when we come back tomorrow, it’s time to go. Our practice this week coming up will be pretty tough so we can get back to where we were.”
Kickoff on Friday night is scheduled for 7 p.m. The winner will advance to the second round where they’ll face either Tustin or Loyola in the quarterfinals.
Check back with The562 for ticket links, game previews, and more as the high school football playoffs get underway.
CLICK HERE to see all the CIF-SS football brackets
