Westminster’s Ezekiel Cedillo scores a touchdown Friday night as No. 17 Noah Pedraza provides a block. (Photos courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone).
Westminster’s successful season came to an end Friday night when the Lions lost to Riverside Poly 20-7 in the semifinal round of the CIF Division 11 playoffs at Martin Lutheran King High School.
Senior Ezekiel Cedillo scored on a 9-yard run for Westminster and wound up rushing for 60 yards on nine carries.
“And he also played incredible defense at strong safety,” said Westminster Coach Steven Anderson. “Ezekiel Cedillo was explosive and incredibly physical. Van Nguyen (a sophomore) did a great job filling in for his first start at linebacker.”
Sophomore Jason Guzman had seven catches for 73 yards and an interception for Westminster, which finished 9-4. Guzman also had an interception on defense.
Anderson indicated he was proud of the seniors.
“I am very thankful to this senior class,” Anderson said Saturday. “They started their journey with me back in 2020. The state of the program now compared to then is all thanks to these players believing in our staff and believing in themselves.
“This season is another positive step forward for this program. The future is bright.”
It was Westminster’s first trip to the CIF semifinals since 2013 when the Lions lost to Corona del Mar.
Riverside Poly (7-6) moves on to the finals next weekend to face Ramona.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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