The Cerritos Dons will head out to challenge the Fillmore Flashes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Fillmore will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Cerritos extended their winning streak to six on Thursday. The Dons never let Glenn get on the board and left with a 50-0 victory. Given the Dons' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 311th, while the Eagles are ranked 983rd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cerritos to victory, but perhaps none more so than Justin Sagun, who threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 38 yards and one TD. Another player making a difference was Terrence Grissom, who gained 103 total yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Cerritos' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Glenn's QB won't forget Sebastian Soto anytime soon given he sacked him three times.
Meanwhile, Fillmore took their contest on Thursday with ease, bagging a 45-8 win over Santa Paula. Considering the Flashes have won six games by more than 20 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Cerritos better keep an eye on Jasiah Patterson. He was instrumental in Fillmore's win, rushing for 141 yards and one score while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. Brenden Banks-Speed got in on the action as well, returning a kick for a touchdown.
Fillmore was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Fillmore, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Banks-Speed, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Cerritos' record is now 8-2. As for Fillmore, their record now sits at 9-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Cerritos has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 221.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Fillmore struggles in that department as they've been averaging 251.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Cerritos was able to grind out a solid victory over Fillmore when the teams last played back in November of 2023, winning 24-12. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Flashes' Anthony Tafoya, who threw for 266 yards and one touchdown, and also punched in one TD on the ground. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Dons to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
