Sei-J Lauago runs wild, leads La Mirada to Southeast Division title

La Mirada players hold up their CIF-SS championship plaque. (Photo Correspondent by Shilah Montiel/ Whittier Daily News)

La Mirada players hold up their CIF-SS championship plaque. (Photo Correspondent by Shilah Montiel/ Whittier Daily News)

By Stephen Ramirez

LA MIRADA — Sei-J Lauago said Monday that big players come up big in big games.He picked one of the brightest stages to play one of his best on Saturday.The senior rushed for 300 yards and three touchdowns and La Mirada won its first CIF Southern Section football title since 2009 with a 45-20 win over La Serna in the Southeast Division championship at La Mirada High School.Tristan Meyer threw for 99 yards and had a rushing touchdown for the Matadores, who improved to 11-3 and earned a spot in next week’s CIF State Regional Bowl games. The pairings will be released today.John Ceballos accounted for 174 yards and three touchdowns for the Lancers, who finished 11-3. La Serna, also getting 82 yards rushing from Anthony Garcia, was seeking its second Southeast title in three seasons.La Mirada rushed for 421 yards and had 512 total.
“It’s not how I ran the ball, it’s how my offensive line was blocking for me,” Lauago said. “They really stepped up for us tonight for the CIF championship. I’m glad. Everyone played physical; everyone played aggressive. That’s how we came out with the (win) tonight.”
Lauago, after rushing scores of 62 and 66 yards in the first half, had a 57-yard run to the 2 before he scored from there for a 31-20 lead a minute into the third quarter.
La Mirada then clinched it on an 18-yard interception return by Chase Newman with 34 seconds left in the quarter before Nick Hernandez went 52 yards for a 45-20 lead with 8:20 left to play.
“It’s a humbling experience (to win the title),” Lauago said. “It’s humbling to know all our hard work paid off, especially beacuase people have doubted us over the years. To finally win it, it’s a humbling experience.”
La Mirada led 24-20 at halftime.
The Matadores rode the legs of Lauago, who rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
He gave La Mirada a 21-7 lead with two monster runs. Lauago, who ran for 256 yards in 55-6 win over Santa Fe to open the playoffs, made it 14-7 with a 62-yard burst at 1:15 left in the first quarter.
He then converted a third-and-30 with a 66-yard run for the two-touchdown lead with 8:53 left in the first half.
But La Serna doesn’t die easy, and the Lancers got back in following an interception with less than a minute left.
Daniel Campos, known more for his talent at linebacker, caught a 27-yard pass to the 1 before Ceballos ran it in from there on the last play of the half to pull within 24-20.
La Serna scored first, going 51 yards on its second possession. Campos had a 37-yard reception to the 7 before Ceballos ran it in from the 1 for a 7-0 lead at 6:55 of the first. Campos finished the half with three catches for 112 yards.
La Mirada followed with a 65-yard drive and tied it at 7 on a 1-yard run by Meyer with 3:30 left.
Ceballos, who accounted for 141 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, had a 3-yard run to make it 21-14 with 6:18 left in the half.
Francisco Sanchez had a 39-yard field goal that gave La Mirada 24-14 lead with 1:29 left in the half.

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