Pats’ postseason run ends on state stage

2025 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

CIF STATE DIVISION 5-AA CHAMPIONSHIP
Bishop O’Dowd 37, Christian 0
Friday, Dec. 12 — Buena Park HS

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Christian Season Memorable with First Title Game Appearance

EastCountySports.com

BUENA PARK — The scoreboard was unforgiving. The opponent was seasoned, powerful, and built for this stage. And yet, even in a lopsided final, the 2025 Christian High Patriots walked off the field Friday afternoon having added a new chapter in the story of their program forever.

In their first CIF State Championship appearance, Christian fell 37–0 to defending champion Bishop O’Dowd in the Division 5-AA title game. It was the end of a six-game postseason surge that transformed a sub-.500 team into East County’s final survivor — and a program now stamped as a state-level contender.

Christian didn’t flinch from the moment. They simply ran into a Dragon team that showed why it has become one of California’s most consistent small-school powers.

From the opening kickoff, the difference was experience.

O’Dowd opened with strong field position, forced early punts, and struck first with a 45-yard touchdown pass on third-and-eight, as junior quarterback Christian Cermenelli-Johnson connected with senior Ian Garrick down the left sideline for a 7–0 lead.

Christian’s defense initially answered.

A personal foul on a punt return backed O’Dowd up, and moments later Hank Houston jarred the ball loose, forcing a fumble recovered by Jacob Zacharzuk at the Patriots’ 21. It was exactly the type of opportunistic play that had fueled Christian’s playoff run.

But the Patriots couldn’t turn it into points — a theme that followed all evening.

Freshman running back Julian Morones injected life into the offense with a bruising run that took three and four defenders to bring him down, pushing the ball to midfield.

Ronnie Scott, shaken earlier on a contested ball, returned to make a reception. Still, a fourth-down attempt came up short.

O’Dowd capitalized immediately.

A 17-yard screen pass to Edwards made it 14–0 late in the first quarter. By early in the second, following a short punt and relentless pressure, the Dragons extended the lead to 21–0 on a 7-yard touchdown run by junior Anthony Hassell.

Christian fought for traction.

Houston ripped off a 40-yard screen play. Runkle scrambled to extend drives. But sacks, blitz pressure, and field position kept tilting the game away from the Patriots. By halftime, Christian trailed 21–0 — a deficit they had overcome before this postseason, but one that felt heavier against this opponent.

The third quarter belonged to Bishop O’Dowd’s ground game.

After another defensive stand, the Dragons leaned into the weapon everyone expected: Lamar Ellis. The powerful running back, limited to nine games this season due to transfer restrictions, finally broke through, scoring his first touchdown of the game to make it 28–0.

Ellis wasn’t done. His footwork and burst drove O’Dowd deep again moments later, setting up a short touchdown plunge by fullback O.C. Lehner.

Chase Togerson blocked the extra point, one of Christian’s final highlights on defense, but the margin had stretched to 34–0.

Runkle ripped off a long run aided by a personal foul, pushing the Patriots inside the O’Dowd 25. Christian went for it on fourth down again — consistent with the mindset that brought them here — but couldn’t convert.

A fourth-quarter field goal extended the score to 37–0, triggering a running clock. Houston added a late 20-yard run, and the Patriots forced a punt in the closing minutes, finishing the game with the same fight that defined their postseason.

The final horn ended the game. It did not end what this team accomplished.

Christian entered the playoffs below .500. They leave as regional champions, state finalists, and the last team standing from East County. Along the way, they earned road wins, dominated defensively, and authored one of the most improbable December runs in program history under head coach Patrick Bugg.

They didn’t lift the trophy Friday, but they carried something just as permanent back to El Cajon: proof that Christian High belongs on this stage.

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FINAL STATS

Morones led all rushers with 87 yards on 13 carries.

Runkle rushed for 51 yards on 13 carries, and was 10 for 26 passing for 98 yards.

Cerenelli-Johnson completed 10 of 28 passes for 202 yards and two TDs.

The Patriots held Ellis to just 51 yards on 10 carries.

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THE DRAGONS’ STANDARD

Bishop O’Dowd’s victory looked familiar — because it was.

The Dragons, now two-time defending state champions, showed why their program has become a benchmark for Division 5 football. Their physicality, discipline, and depth surfaced early and never relented.

Running back Lamar Ellis was the centerpiece but he wasn’t the factor needed as OD had too many options. However, his third-quarter score broke the game open, and his presence altered Christian’s defensive priorities from the opening snap.

Ian Garrick added the game’s first touchdown and continued his season defined by explosiveness on offense and playmaking on defense. O’Dowd’s front seven controlled the line of scrimmage, producing sacks, strip pressure, and consistent disruption.

Comfortable in tight games — including last week’s 23–20 win over Chico — the Dragons never let Christian gain momentum.

This is what championship infrastructure looks like.

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NICKERSON’S IMPRINT — FROM NFL TO OAKLAND SIDELINE

Bishop O’Dowd head coach Hardy Nickerson’s imprint is unmistakable.

A five-time NFL Pro Bowl linebacker, Nickerson has blended professional expectations with high-school execution. His résumé includes coaching stops with the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, and Illinois, alongside two head-coaching stints at O’Dowd (2010–2013, 2022–present).

Ironically, Nickerson — a Verbum Dei graduate who starred at Cal — now leads a program whose white-and-gold uniforms mirror the Pittsburgh Steelers’ road look nearly stripe-for-stripe, from the athletic stripes on the shoulders to the patented thick black stripe down the side of the gold pants. The detail feels appropriate: tough, physical, unapologetic football.

One subtle difference? Helmet logo on both sides — unlike the Steelers’ single decal.

While O’Dowd’s uniforms evoke the Steelers, Christian’s helmets feature “Pat Patriot,” a design long associated with the New England Patriots. The Pats have used the “old” New England logo for close to 50 years.

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O’DOWD PK BRIEN SON OF LONG-TIME NFL VET KICKER

O’Dowd kicker Zach Brien added another layer of football lineage to the afternoon.

Brien is the son of former NFL kicker Doug Brien, whose 12-year career included stops with the 49ers, Saints, Colts, Buccaneers, Vikings, Jets, and Bears. Zach handled extra-point duties early before Vince Santucci connected on O’Dowd’s fourth-quarter field goal.

Even on special teams, pedigree showed.

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PATRIOTS’ OWN PRO ATHLETE FAMILY

While Patrick Bugg, a two-time small school All-American while playing tight end at Eastern Kentucky, where he is in the school’s athletics Hall of Fame, led Christian High onto the field for its first-ever state championship appearance, his family’s impact on the program — and beyond — continues to grow.

Bugg’s daughter, Jordyn Bugg, who attended Christian High School and played both soccer and basketball, is already a standout at the professional and international level. Her mother, Tam, is a Dean of Students at Christian High.

Now a center back for Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL, Jordyn signed her first pro contract at just 17 years old and became a regular contributor by her second season, earning a Defender of the Year nomination in 2025.

Jordyn developed with San Diego Surf SC, winning an ECNL national championship in 2024, and trained with the San Diego Wave. Internationally, she has represented the United States at every youth level and earned bronze medals at the 2023 Pan American Games and the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup before making her senior national team debut in 2025, where she now has five caps.

Different sports, same elite roots for the Bugg family.

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DRAGON RANKING NOT INDICATIVE

Bishop O’Dowd came into the game with a lower overall power rating than Christian.

The Dragons came into the contest ranked 198th in the state power ratings, while the Patriots, bolstered by their strong local schedule, which featured the likes of Bishop’s, Santa Fe Christian, Scripps Ranch, and included Eastern League opponents Madison, La Jolla, Point Loma, and St. Augustine, came in rated 148th.

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PATRIOTS’ PLAN

Christian didn’t get the ending it wanted.

But this wasn’t a story about one game.

It was about a team that refused to accept its early-season narrative, surged through November, conquered December weekends on the road, and carried East County to the final Friday of the high-school football calendar.

Programs don’t arrive at state championship stages by accident.

Christian High arrived — and now knows the way back.

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