SANTA ANA – Millikan opened the 2022 high school football season impressively, dominating on offense and defense in a 62-13 win over Santa Ana on Thursday at Santa Ana Stadium.
Rams junior quarterback Myles Jackson passed for 402 yards and six touchdowns. He completed 21 of 26 passes with one interception on a deflected pass. Jackson (6-2, 190), who has offers from several colleges including Georgia, LSU, Oregon and UCLA, also rushed for 91 yards.
Santa Ana’s Sergio Torres (6) has his pass batted down by Millikan’s Maximus Fatu (23) during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s Jayderick Garcia (3) runs into the arms of Millikan’s Craig Gordon (55) during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s Sergio Torres (6) scrambles for extra yards during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Nygel Osborne (28) goes into the end zone for a touchdown during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s team takes the field before a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s defense swarm tackles Santa Ana’s Joseph Foster (10) during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Myles Jackson (9) gets a first-down on a quarterback keeper during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s Matthew Rivas (33) escapes the grasp of Millikan’s Ricky Cherry (16) during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Kato Keohaname (18) heads up field with a reception in front of Santa Ana’s bench during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Angelo Miranda (8) gets away from the Santa Ana’s defense for a touchdown during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s head coach Romeo Pellum talks with the official during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Nygel Osborne (28) heads for the end zone after breaking from the grasp of Santa Ana’s Nathan Ixta (24) during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Angelo Miranda (8) gets away from Santa Ana’s Ignacio Marin (9) for a touchdown during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Myles Jackson (9) (smiling) celebrates Millikan’s Angelo Miranda’s (8) touchdown during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Despite the efforts of Santa Ana’s Nathan Ixta (24) Millikan’s Nygel Osborne (28) was able to reverse field for a big gain during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Myles Jackson (9) scores on a keeper in front of Santa Ana’s Jose Martinez (21) during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Nygel Osborne (28) trips and falls with nobody between him and the end zone during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Nygel Osborne (28) can’t believe he tripped in the open field during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s Joseph Foster (10) helps Santa Ana avoid a shut out by scoring on this play during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s mascots watch the game during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Jaden Hunt (13) gets helped up by Millikan’s Myles Jackson (9) after scoring a second half touchdown during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s try to rally their team during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Matthew Martinez (17) scores Millikan’s first points of the 2022 football season during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s mascot watch was their team is dominated by Millikan during a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Ana’s tuba section leaves the field before a non-league football game between Millikan High and Santa Ana High at Santa Ana Stadium in Santa Ana CA on Friday August 18 2022.
(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan coach Romeo Pellum said Jackson showed Thursday that he has made marked improvement from last season.
“He’s definitely more in control,” Pellum said. “I think he’s more comfortable now. It’s his offense and he knows this offense.”
Senior receiver Angelo Miranda had six receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. He also had an interception on defense.
Senior running back Nygel Osborne rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries. Osborne scored two touchdowns rushing and one touchdown receiving.
Matthew Martinez had two touchdown receptions.
Santa Ana scored the game’s final two touchdowns, on a 55-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sergio Torres to Joseph Foster and a 15-yard run by Jacob Cervantes.
Millikan’s offensive line of Terrell Dolberry, Luke Dawson, Christian Flores, Alexander Romero and Jessie Wishon popped open holes for Osborne and gave Jackson plenty of time to scan the field.
The Rams defense was excellent, especially senior defensive tackle Craig Gordon.
“He’s a great defensive lineman and he plays with a motor,” Pellum said. “It’s hard to block him oneon-one.”
Junior receiver Ryan Pellum, the head coach’s brother, did not play for Millikan. One of Southern California’s top prospects, with offers from every major-college program in the nation including Alabama, Georgia, LSU, UCLA and USC, Pellum (5-11, 180) was ejected from the Rams’ final game of the 2021 regular season and thus had to sit out the first game of 2022.
Coach Pellum saw room for improvement in the one-sided game, noting that the Rams committed nine penalties, miss an extra-point kick and on a couple of special-teams situations had only 10 players on the field and had to hurry an 11th player before the snap.
“There are a lot of areas we can get better at,” Pellum said. “But I’m proud of them. We came out a victory.”
Santa Ana, which defeated Millikan 48-41 in last year’s season opener, plays at El Modena next Thursday, Aug. 25. Millikan’s next game is a home game Thursday, Aug. 25, against Cathedral.
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Millikan scored touchdowns on its first two possession, getting points on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Martinez and a 1-yard run by Osborne. A 45-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter made it 21-0. Miranda took a short pass and converted it into a 50-yard scoring play, Martinez caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jackson and a 1-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Osborne with 13 seconds left in the second quarter completed the first-half scoring and made it 41-0.
Jackson threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter, one of 23 yards to Jordan Anderson and the other of 13 yards to Jaden Hunt, and scored on an 8-yard run for a 62-0 lead.
