Big Plays Turn the Tide as Cathedral Catholic Tops Los Alamitos in 1-AA State Regional (2025)

Long Beach – Veterans Stadium (LAHS)

One week after reclaiming section glory for the first time since 2002, Los Alamitos stepped onto the Veterans Stadium turf on Friday night carrying the weight of a program—and the pride of generations—into the CIF State Division 1-AA Southern Regional final.

They were greeted earlier in the week by nearly 50 alumni at a Thanksgiving practice, including one who casually raised his hand when Coach Ray Fenton asked, “How many of you have rings?” “I have three,” the alumnus said.

Those echoes of championship tradition fueled the Griffins all season long. And though Cathedral Catholic pulled away after halftime for a 42-21 victory, ending Los Al’s state run, nothing diminished what this team accomplished: a CIF-SS Division 2 championship, a 12-win season, and a year defined by resilience and brotherhood.

“We’re super proud to hang a banner,” Fenton said. “It shows that hard work works… and team chemistry is the most important thing in making a team go.”

Senior defensive end Jackson Renger echoed the sentiment after posting two sacks.
“We’re a brotherhood. We work as a community, as a family,” he said. “That’s why we saw so much success.”

The Griffins opened fast, marching 75 yards on nine plays as Colin Creason hit Ashton Gogue on a beautifully designed 26-yard crossing route to make it 7-0.

Cathedral Catholic tied it on a fourth-and-3 touchdown run by Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, but Los Al punched right back.

Creason capped another 75-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing score, and with 2:18 left in the first quarter, the Griffins again held a touchdown lead at 14–7.

Before halftime, the Dons tied it 14-14 and Los Al drove into the red zone for a go-ahead field goal attempt. Kamden Tillis, who finished with 195 rushing yards on 21 carries, set up the try with a 25-yard cutback run, but the kick from 26 yards went wide as time expired.

Cathedral Catholic seized control with explosive strikes. On the opening drive, QB Brady Palmer hit Isaac Cook for a 56-yard touchdown, giving the Dons their first lead. Minutes later, he found Cook again—this time on third-and-17 for a 79-yard score.

Los Al came inches from responding, but Cathedral stuffed Lenny Ibarra on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 3:07 left in the third.

From there, the Dons delivered a methodical 98-yard drive, capped by a 20-yard TD run from Fa’alave-Johnson, extending the lead to 35-14.

Cathedral controlled the clock in the fourth with a nearly nine-minute marathon possession before scoring again.

Tillis broke loose for a late 42-yard touchdown run—a fitting final stamp on a spectacular junior season—but the gap was too wide to overcome.

The loss ends Los Alamitos’ season at 12–3, but the story doesn’t end in Long Beach—it stretches far beyond the scoreboard.

“This team is resilient,” Dons coach Sean Doyle said after the game. Fenton agreed—Los Al persevered through adversity all year, from early injuries to second-half deficits in the playoffs.

And now, a championship banner will hang in the gym once again.