PANORAMA CITY, CA – Following a season-opening 34-0 shutout victory on their home field against Knight, the El Camino Real Royals dropped their last two games against Heritage Christian and Grace in the Southern Section. In their third consecutive contest away from home, they took on the reigning CIF Division III City Champions Panorama Pythons, who were seeking a 4-0 start to 2025 in their home opener on Friday night. El Camino Real struck the first punch in the contest with an opening drive touchdown and maintained control of the game through their physicality and tenacity on the defensive end. In a low-scoring defensive struggle, the Royals received a second-half spark from their ground game edging the Pythons 13-0 to bring their record back to .500 in the young season. 

Heading into Friday ranked 10th in the CIF L.A. City Section in passing yards, El Camino Real senior quarterback Arturo Acevedo led the Royals on their opening drive where they were able to establish their physicality on the gridiron. After gaining over 130 yards through the ground a week earlier, the Royals used their running game to move the chains offensively. The drive concluded with a 4-yard touchdown run from El Camino Real senior and team captain Shane Bogacz to give the Royals an early 7-0 advantage with under six minutes to go in the first quarter. 

The Pythons took possession of the football looking to beat El Camino Real at their own game with their early emphasis on the running game. Panorama put the ball in the hands of sophomore fullback Brandon Hernandez, who pounded the rock into goal territory by successfully converting on three separate third & fourth down situations on the drive. The game moved along into the second quarter where a penalty and a false start penalty backed the Pythons up to the sixteen-yard line on fourth down. El Camino Real kept Panorama out of the end zone with a key fourth down stop with the Pythons turning the ball over on downs. 

With 5:11 remaining in the first half, the Royals offense took the field looking to expand on their lead. As Bogacz rested on the sidelines, senior running back and team captain Takia Campbell and freshman back Raul Berdon carried the load as they moved their offense into goal territory. Facing the possibility of a two-score deficit heading into the locker room, Panorama made an enormous defensive play by forcing a fumble from Berdon which was recovered by sophomore defensive back Sebastian De Alba-Medina. Panorama was left with 2:58 left on the clock to work with following the takeaway, but didn’t have enough time to put any points on the board as the clock dwindled into halftime with the score remaining at a 7-0 advantage for El Camino Real. 

Consecutive penalties stifled the opening second half drive for the Royals offense, as they punted the football back to Panorama. El Camino Real Head Coach Rick Hayashida discussed his disappointment in the five penalties his team racked up throughout the night following Friday night’s victory, “I’m not one to complain, but we got taken out of our game by an awful lot of penalty calls.” Fortunately for his team, the offensive struggles continued for Panorama into the second half as El Camino Real stifled the Panorama offensive attack. 

After forcing a punt with 4:35 left in the third quarter, El Camino Real got the ball rolling on offense when Bogacz ripped off a big gain on his 110 yard outing for a first down to put the Royals in Panorama territory. The time ticked away into the fourth quarter, as the Royals were able to continue to wear down Panorama in the running game with multiple offensive weapons touching the football on the drive. Senior Daniel Harris and Campbell executed the majority of the damage on the drive before Bogacz punched the ball into the end zone with his second rushing touchdown of the contest on a 4-yard score. With 10:48 remaining in the game, the Royals led 13-0 after the missed extra point attempt.

For the remainder of the fourth quarter, the Royals defense completed their outstanding performance in preserving the shutout, refusing to relinquish a first down in the process. After being sidelined the last two games due to injury, the return of their defensive leader in Bogacz boosted the morale of the Royals defense, according to Hayashida in the postgame interview. 

“Obviously, the two losses we had previously he wasn’t able to play, but you can see when we have everybody we’re pretty good.”, he stated. Bogacz, the team’s starting cornerback further elaborated on the physical tone his return set for the team after the game, “My teammates feel the energy. Just not [only] off of me but everybody on the line.” 

Reaching a 2-2 record on the season in their second shutout win, Hayashida recognizes the rising potential of his Royals team filled with underclassmen as they continue to gain experience in his program. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores on this team. They’re getting better each week…..I think we’re heading in the right direction.”, he noted following the 13-0 win. El Camino Real will look for their second consecutive victory as they return to their home field to take on the Palisades Dolphins this upcoming Friday. Panorama will look to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they host Canoga Park on September 19th.

All Photos By VST Photographer David Martinez