BUENA PARK — Aside from an opening punt, Christian High School of El Cajon never found an answer for the Dragons.
Bishop O’Dowd’s defense set the tone early, and its offense followed suit, rolling to a 37–0 victory over the Patriots to capture the CIF Division 5-AA State Championship, the program’s first state title since 2016.
From the opening drive to the final whistle, the Dragons controlled every phase, delivering a performance that left little doubt about who belonged on the championship stage.
Dragons strike early, take control from the start
After Christian’s opening possession stalled, Bishop O’Dowd wasted no time capitalizing on field position. The Dragons opened their second drive from Christian’s 45-yard line and immediately went to work.
Facing third-and-seven, quarterback Christian Cermenelli-Johnson stepped up and delivered a perfectly placed throw to senior Ian Garrick up the left sideline. The ball couldn’t have been dropped in any cleaner, and Garrick secured it for the game’s first touchdown. The extra point was good, and Bishop O’Dowd jumped out to a 7–0 lead.
Christian’s offense struggled to respond. Starting from its own 20, the Patriots were backed up by a holding penalty and faced third-and-long. Quarterback Levi Rawlings tried to push the ball downfield to Ronnie Scott, but free safety Jaden Colbert broke up the pass in the air. Both players were slow to get up but walked off under their own power.
The Dragons forced another punt, still without allowing Christian a first down.
Sophomore Bryan Edwards followed with a strong return that set Bishop O’Dowd up inside Christian’s 30. Momentum briefly swung when the Dragons fumbled, but Christian couldn’t turn the takeaway into points.
Freshman Julian Morones provided a spark, picking up Christian’s first first down with a tough run. The Patriots stayed aggressive, but after coming up short on a pass play, they went for it on fourth down. Bishop O’Dowd’s defense held firm and turned them away.
O’Dowd offense rewards defense, builds a big lead
Once again, the Dragons’ offense rewarded the stop.
Cermenelli-Johnson rolled to his right and connected with junior tight end Malcolm Fernandez-Smith to move the chains. A few plays later, a short pass to Edwards turned into an 18-yard touchdown as he slipped through the defense and stretched the lead to 14–0.
Christian showed signs of life on its next drive, stringing together back-to-back first downs behind Julian Morones and Ronnie Scott to cross into O’Dowd territory. But penalties and pressure quickly derailed the momentum. A holding call followed by a sack put the Patriots in third-and-long, forcing yet another punt and giving the Dragons another short field.
Cermenelli-Johnson took advantage. On third-and-five, he stepped up through a collapsing pocket and scrambled for the first down, drawing a late hit at the end of the play. On first-and-goal from the nine, junior Anthony Hassell powered into the end zone, pushing the lead to 21–0.
As the first half wound down, Christian used all of its timeouts trying to squeeze points out of the final minute. Bishop O’Dowd’s defense had other plans.
Senior edge rusher Osereme Oriabure closed the half with a sack, the Dragons’ third of the game, and Bishop O’Dowd jogged into halftime firmly in control.
Second half brings more of the same
Coming out of the break, Bishop O’Dowd’s defense didn’t lose any of its edge.
The Dragons forced Christian into another punt, then watched their offense strike quickly. It took just two plays to go 55 yards, finishing with another touchdown that stretched the lead even further.
By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the score was no longer in doubt. The challenge for the Dragons became something else entirely — protecting the donut.
And they did exactly that.
Christian continued to battle, but Bishop O’Dowd’s defense stayed locked in, refusing to allow any late scores. The Dragons remained disciplined, physical and focused through the final whistle, sealing a 37–0 shutout on the biggest stage.
For the first time since 2016, Bishop O’Dowd stood alone as state champions.
Postgame: Mission accomplished
Cermenelli-Johnson, who orchestrated the offense all night, reflected on the moment after the win.
“We knew we could do it the whole time. It was just following through, taking the right steps and that’s what we did.”
He credited the team’s mindset for the dominant performance.
“It’s all a mindset. We have the physical ability, we were better than them. We just had to come in mentally, be locked in. That’s what we did. Defense was locked in and we were able to play through the whole game.”
Asked about the celebration ahead, the quarterback kept it simple.
“Hey you know we got a long bus ride back, it’s gonna be a party.”
The Dragons’ head coach, Hardy Nickerson reflected on the journey it took to get there.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team. The way we started this season, nobody understands. One and three, and we were injured, couldn’t see anything. But these kids just kept working and kept pressing on and here we are.”
Hassell, who scored and made his presence felt defensively, spoke about the moment.
“This is what we worked for since the summer and it feels surreal being able to do this with the team we grew up with.”
He also explained the late-game focus.
“We put ourselves in an opportunity to be able to protect the shutout and just compete all four quarters.”
Reflecting on the mark he left on the game, Hassell added:
“It’s what I’ve been working for my entire life and I’m thankful for my entire team, they got us all here.”
By the numbers
- Christian Cermenelli-Johnson: Threw for over 200 yards and two touchdown passes
- Anthony Hassell: Rushing touchdown and a forced fumble
- OC Lehner: Rushing touchdown
- Bryan Edwards: Touchdown reception
- Lamar Ellis: Rushing touchdown
- Xavier Garret & Osereme Oriabure: Picked up sacks as part of a dominant defensive effort that protected the shutout
From start to finish, Bishop O’Dowd played like a team that understood the moment.
Locked in. Relentless. Unshakeable.
And when the lights dimmed in Buena Park, the Dragons stood as Division 5-AA state champions — their season ending exactly the way they envisioned it.
