The El Cerrito Gauchos capped an historic season by claiming their first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state football championship, defeating Beckman High School of Irvine 35–12 on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Buena Park High School.
As reported by OC Sports Zone, El Cerrito built a lead in the first half and then put the game away with a dominant second-half performance, outscoring Beckman behind an efficient offense. Sophomore quarterback Dejuan Compton Jr. threw four touchdown passes in the CIF State Division 4-A victory.
The Gauchos finished the season with a 13-2 record.
The historic season follows a rough 2024 year where El Cerrito was forced to forfeit multiple games because of ineligible players. This year marked a dramatic turnaround under veteran coach Tim Johnson.
