Football: Five Falcon players earn All-State honors

Max Rankin (4) was one of five Cerritos players to earn All-State honors
Max Rankin (4) was one of five Cerritos players to earn All-State honors

After a season where the Cerritos College football team qualified for the Southern California Regional Playoffs, and ended the year ranked #9 in the state, five of their players were named All-State. Part of Region III, the four players were unanimous All-National Division Central League selections. Building for a strong 2026 season, all five of those selected are freshmen, with three of them on offense. Quarterback Jeremiah Calvin (Mayfair HS) was joined by his favorite target, wide receiver Charles Clinton II (Long Beach Poly HS), with offensive lineman David Paulo (Mayfair HS) one of the anchors to the line. On defense, cornerback Max Rankin (La Mirada HS) was joined by punter Logan Kennedy (Cypress HS).

Calvin, who showed pinpoint accuracy at times during the year, completed 197-of-294 passes (67.0 percent) for 2,599 yards and 22 touchdowns with just five interceptions. Calvin did not throw an interception through the first five games of the season. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns. He threw for over 300 yards in a game three times, which included completing 27-of-31 passes for 321 yards in his first college game, while his tossed for 323 yards in the playoff game against Ventura College. Calvin went four straight games with a completion percentage over 70% four games in a row, and threw for a season-high three touchdowns against Santa Barbara City College and Orange Coast College on consecutive weeks.

Pulling in a team-high 44 passes on the season, Clinton also led the team with 725 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He had over 100 receiving yards three times, with his 118 yards against College of the Canyons a season best. He also had 116 yards against Ventura, and recorded 60-yard receptions four times and pulled in a pair of touchdown passes in three straight games, all wins.

As a team, the Falcons averaged 282 yards per game through the air and 163 yards a game on the ground. As the lone freshman starter on the offensive line, Paulo was a key component to the team's offensive success, as Cerritos averaged 36.8 points per game.

Assigned the opponent's best receiver each game, Rankin finished the year with 36 tackles (22 solo), broke up a team-high six passes and also blocked a kick. He also returned an interception 70 yards against Bakersfield College, which set up a touchdown. Rankin recorded a season-high six tackles against Fullerton College and had five solo stops against Golden West College. 

Called on to punt just 30 times all season, Kennedy made the most of them, as he averaged 42.2 yards per punt and dropped eight of them inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He saw five of his punts go over 50 yards, which includes a season-high 56-yarder against Santa Barbara City.