CIF released the first football poll of the season after the conclusion of Week No. 1. A handful of local teams landed top spots on the list, including Garden Grove and Westminster High.
The Argonauts, who will play in the Garden Grove League, were selected as the No. 1 team in the Southern Division. Last year, they finished with a 13-1 and captured the Garden Grove League title.
That's not likely to change after the team shut out Westminster High on Friday night at Garden Grove High School. Final score: 21-0.
CIF released the first football poll of the season after the conclusion of Week No. 1. A handful of local teams landed top spots on the list, including Garden Grove and Westminster High.
The Argonauts, who will play in the Garden Grove League, were selected as the No. 1 team in the Southern Division. Last year, they finished with a 13-1 and captured the Garden Grove League title.
That's not likely to change after the team shut out Westminster High on Friday night at Garden Grove High School. Final score: 21-0.
The squad lost successful head coach Willy Puga, who resigned due to his frustration with the school districts unwillingness to provide addition stipends. His replacement is Ricardo Cepeda, who seems to have the team — and especially the defense, which was suffocating against the Lions — on the right track.
The contest was truly a test. After all, Westminster High, which reached the CIF playoff semifinals before losing to Corona del Mar last season, went into the game ranked No. 3 in the same division as the Argonauts.
The man of the night was Garden Grove High's Alex Ceja. By the end of the game, Ceja had intercepted a pass from Westminster’s Matt Dinh (11 of 23 for 119 yards and 2 interceptions), hit Austen Christian for a 57-yard touchdown pass and run for two touchdowns. Overall the Argonauts used many feet to carry them to 275 yards on the ground.
On the Westminster side, the Lions had trouble keeping things going as the Argonauts' defense picked up where they left off last year as CIF finalists.
Lions' quarterback, Dinh appeared quick-footed and eager, but his laser passes needed a bit of touch to get over well-placed defenders. The offense consisted of Dinh’s 61 yards rushing.
The receiving crew of Andrew Dotson (4 receptions for 47 yards), Dat Tran, Minh Nguyen and Gabe Sanchez pulled in 11 passes and appeared to be gelling by game's end.
The shutout was the first against Westminster going back to the Garden Grove High game in 2009.
The Lions are led by head coach Ted McMillen, who steered the team to an 8-5 record last year. They also produced a 4-1 record in the Golden West League to share the crown with Segerstrom.
Santa Ana Valley received the No. 2 ranking. Several other Orange League teams snagged spots in the top 10. That list included No. 4 Katella and Magnolia, which did not break into the top 10 but received special recognition.
