BUENA PARK – The Buena Park football team had the misfortune of facing defending CIF-SS Division 12 champion Cerritos in both teams’ season opener Thursday at Buena Park High School.
Cerritos was in control from start to finish despite having to accumulate 105 yards in penalties, and the Dons left with a 38-0 victory.
The Dons (1-0) relied primarily on their running game and scored four of their five touchdowns there.
Dikshanta Adhikari scored touchdown runs of 14 and 18 yards, Josiah Ungos scored a 13-yard touchdown, and quarterback Justin Sagun scored a 12-yard touchdown run and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ruben Castro.
All four players played key roles on last season’s championship team that defeated Yuca Valley 19-13 in overtime in the Division 12 title game.
Adhikari said he knew he would take on that role this season after Josh Park, last season’s No. 1 running back, graduated.
“We’ve been a target on our backs ever since we won CIF,” Adhikari said. “So we have to come out strong. We did that today. And I knew I was going to take the brunt of it today because we’ve been practicing the same thing every day since the spring. So I was prepared for that.”
Demel Franklin, the Dons’ second-year coach, said the offensive line’s play made it possible to run the ball that way.
“The five guys up front did their job,” Franklin said. “There were a few little mistakes, but for the most part they dominated the line of scrimmage. As long as they do that, I love our team.”
Cerritos started seven of his nine drives in Buena Park territory, including three inside the 30.
In most cases, the good field position was created by the defense.
Six of the Coyotes’ drives (0-1) resulted in negative yards.
The Coyotes had a good attack late in the second quarter, driving from their 25-yard line to the Cerritos 20-yard line.
But that drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down and the Coyotes never got back into Dons territory.
Franklin said his team can only get better.
“Last year we were really young,” Franklin said. “People don’t understand that. We have our 22 starters. I think 15 of them were sophomores last year. Now these guys are in their third year and guess what, they’re coming back next year.”
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