Author: adviser

Both boys and girls swim are well into season, one step closer to becoming Moore League Champions as they defeated both Lakewood on April 11 and Millikan on March 28.

On Friday April 11, Poly played against Lakewood at their last home meet. This was the final home meet for the Jackrabbits, so in addition to competing, the team honored its seniors for their dedication to the program.

“I’ve been on varsity swim for four years, so [swim] has been a big part of my life. I spent so much time here at this pool. Many great moments happened here and its sad leaving it all behind,” said senior Camille Mojica.

Just as last year, the varsity girls swept most events, eventually winning 112-58. The boys turned the tables on the Lancers this year with improved players and a better team dynamic, winning 97-73.

On March 28, Poly visited Millikan as they faced off against their hardest competitor next to Wilson. Both girls and boys were neck and neck until the end, where both teams ended with a 96-73 victory over the Rams.

“This is a practice meet for Wilson. Millikan is a fierce team and we came out fast. We didn’t perform as expected, but this just showed us how we must prepare for Wilson,” said sophomore Emma Skinner.

The team traveled to their last non-league meet at Downey High School on April 2. Even with rain and severe weather conditions, the girls were able to add another win to their list defeating the Vikings 112-44. Unfortunately, the boys did not hold up as well, getting their first loss of the season with a loss 125-45.

“We were missing our top swimmers, and we weren’t swimming our usual events. We thought we could manage, but we definitely underestimated Downey and their times,” said junior Johnathan “Chief” Coleman.

Top girl and boys swimmers participated in the Klaus Barth Invitational meet at Wilson on  Thursday April 14, but could not be reported on due to press time constraints. Qualifiers for both boys and girls will move on to finals on Friday, April 18 at 5 pm at Belmont Pool.

On April 30, both teams will travel to Wilson for the biggest and most intense meet of Moore League.

The badminton team beat Lakewood and Wilson. They are in first place in the Moore League with an undefeated record.

The Jackrabbits beat Lakewood 20-1 last Thursday, April 10 at Poly, the biggest win over Lakewood since head coach Steve Meckna took over the program. Senior Karl Luciano, who was out for three weeks due to an ankle injury, won both of his singles games.

“The most important thing about Karl’s matches is they showed that he is back. He played very well at about 85% of his full strength,” said Coach Meckna.

The boys doubles team of seniors Andy Nguyen and Chai Vue swept their games, and all the girls teams won their games, extending the girls singles teams’ winning streak to 40. On Tuesday, April 8, the team beat Wilson 16-5 at Wilson’s gym. Early that day, the mixed doubles team of senior Amanda Phou and junior Vattanak Ry won 4 of 5 very close games.

“Winning the mixed games early were very important. That set the momentum going our way,” said Meckna.

The boys doubles team of Nguyen and Vue continued the momentum by winning both of their games. Luciano made his first appearance since his injury, winning 1 of 2 singles games. The girls teams swept all of their games. The boys singles and mixed doubles team retain talent from last year, returning Ry, the returning Moore League boys singles and mixed doubles champion, Phou, the returning Moore League mixed doubles champion, and boys singles player Luciano, who has been slowed down by injuries.

An improved area has been the boys doubles team. Last year, opponents would construct stronger boys doubles team when playing Poly because Poly’s boys singles teams were much stronger. Nguyen and Vue have turned the boys doubles team around from being the laughingstock to the best in the league.

The real secret weapon is the girls team as a whole. The girls have won 76 of 80 games in Moore League, with girls singles undefeated in league play. Poly played Cabrillo, the second best team in the league, on April 15. The score could not be reported due to press time restraints.

The boys and girls teams continued to perform at high levels, with strong showings at the Arcadia Invitational, various Moore League meets, and the Texas Relays. The team had strong individual and relay teams that posted nationally competitive times.

The Arcadia Invitational featured many of the nation’s top high school runners, making each event very competitive. This meet occured over Friday April 11 and Saturday April 12.Poly had strong individual times as well as relay teams.

On the boys side, the 4×800 team placed first with a time of 8:02, as senior Bray Turner ran an outstanding anchor leg to win. The 4×100 relay team had exchange problems and did not finish strongly. The 4×400 team was missing senior Malik Dennis due to an ankle injury, but still finished strong with a time of 3:18. Individually, distance runners Miguel Bautista and Hugo Novoa had very solid showings in the 3200 and 1600m respectively. There were also competitive individual sprinters from Poly. Junior Mar’yea Harris placed second in the 400 with a time of 47.78 seconds. Senior Juan Ward ran the 110 and 300 hurdles with times of 14.60 and 38.09 respectively

“There were a lot of ups and downs but overall we did well,” said junior Chris Polk.

The girls team had a strong showing in both individual events and relays, posting some of the fastest times in the nation.

Freshman Kaeilyn Roberts ran a very fast time in the 400, winning overall. The senior hurdlers also competed very well. Texas A&M bound Ebony Creer and LSU bound Kymber Payne ran in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. Payne finished the 100m in 14.25 and the 300m in 42.49.

Oregon bound Ariana Washington raced in her premier event; the 100m sprint. The 4-time state champion won her race in 11.38 with a fairly large margin separating her and the other competitors.

The girls 4×100 team finished third, despite having a botched handoff. Washington closed the gap in the final 100 meters, and lost by a mere .06 seconds. However, the 4×400 relay team finished in first with a noticeable lead ahead of second place.

In Moore League, Poly continues to excel, and face little to no competition by any teams. Both teams have won against Compton, Jordan, Cabrillo and Lakewood.

The team also competed on March 29 in the Texas Relays, at the University of Texas. The meet showcased some top sprinters, and fielded strong relay teams.

Poly mainly competed in relay teams, having a 4×100, 4×400, and spring medley team.

The girls team had a very competitive 4×100 race winning in 45.73 seconds. barely edging out St. Thomas Aquinas, a team from Florida. In the 4×400 relay, the team finished second.

The boys 4×400 team finished in 3:17 to place third overall. Ward ran the 110 hurdles in 14.73.

A rare event for the Poly track team to compete in is the steeplechase. Senor Christian Kerr was the sole athlete for Poly. Kerr finished the 2000 meter steeplechase in thirteenth place in 6:56.

The teams hope to win League, and end their season in June at the State Championships.

The Poly boys tennis team defeated Lakewood 12-6 on March 10, following their 18-0 win against CAMS on March 8.

The Jackrabbits faced a tough opponent in the Lancers last Thursday, especially considering that the match would be played on Lakewood’s home courts. Despite this disadvantage, the boys powered through to victory, winning 12 out of eighteen matches.

Over the course of three rounds, Poly’s singles and doubles teams showed their talent and improvement, unintimidated by the Lakewood team and its players. Intense matches soon followed, as spectators witnessed the speedy lobbying of tennis balls across the court as each side tried to gain an advantage over the other.

“We were down by two people, and our coach wasn’t there because he was sick, but I thought we were extremely focused. I felt like we had played really well,” said junior McKrey Stribich.

Senior Alex Nagourney took over coach Ricardo Montecinos’ position and led the entire team throughout the game. In addition, outstanding matches were played by the junior varsity and varsity teams, giving Poly another victory in the Moore League.

“Since the beginning of the year, our team has worked hard to not only improve our playing skills, but also improve on team dynamic. That has been a major contributor to our success in the Moore League,” said junior Ryan El Khoury.

The game against CAMS on March 8 was even more successful, for the Jackrabbits swept all matches to defeat the Rebels 18-0. With determination and focus, the team solidified their status as a formidable competitor on the local stage. Poly is currently second place in the Moore League, trailing Wilson, who beat the Jackrabbits during the early part of the season.

“I am happy that our guys are playing well this season. It is good to see them improving so quickly and winning over their Moore League competitors,” said Montecinos.

Poly played a match against Wilson on April 15, which could not be reported due to press time constraints. The Jackrabbits will play Cabriillo on May 1 for their last Mooore League match.

The girls water polo team played their final game on February 18 in first round of CIF, losing to Thousand Oaks, 17-13. There was strong effort by all players, but the team was simply outmatched. The goalies had to be substituted out, and players new to the goalie position were placed in. Sophomore Taylor Martin played half of the game as goalie.

“This was a good building season for us. We know how to play as a team,” said Martin.

Despite losing in the first round, the girls are very happy with their season as a whole. The team had to replace a strong senior class, led by Savannah Steffen and Aubrie Monahan. Some players that stepped up were freshman Julia Mangandi, sophomores Kamren Phillips, Carina Monaco, and Martin. The girls started off the season a bit shaky, but finished strong.

“It was a lot of fun and was a great experience,” said Mangandi, when reflecting on the entire season.          

Many of the starting players on this team will return next year. These players will have much more experience next year, and play stronger.

“Next year we will win Moore League,” said Phillips. Winning Moore League is a feat the girls team has never accomplished before. Many of these players also compete in swim, and will develop more aquatics experience.

The Poly girls basketball team finished their CIF season with a crippling 62-49 loss to Windward, after a 75-57 win against Chaminade.

The team faced the formidable Windward Wildcats on March 1. Poly hoped to avenge their painful loss during pre-season, where they lost by one point. Trailing 32-30 after the first half, the Jackrabbits were unable to gain the lead against the Wildcats, who put up an exceptional defense. Poly eventually lost 62-49, thus ending their run towards another CIF championship.

Senior Lajahnae Drummer led with 15 points, but was overshadowed by the star of the Windward team, UCLA-bound senior Jordin Canada, who amassed 27 points during the game.

“I felt like we could have improved upon our outside shooting, but I liked the intensity we brought to the game,” said senior captain Airica Carmon.

On a more positive note, the Jackrabbits easily triumphed over their first-round opponents, the Chaminade Eagles on February 26, winning 75-57 at Poly. Poly held the lead throughout the entire game, and were able to easily advance to the second round.

Four girls scored in the double digits in the win, led by freshman Ayanna Clark with 13 points and 8 rebounds, followed by UCLA-bound senior Lajahnae Drummer with 12 points along with 8 rebounds.

“I was extremely pleased [with this game]. I feel like we came out with a lot of energy; though we were a bit slow during the first half, we picked it up after halftime,” said head coach Carl Buggs.

The team is now focused on improving their offense for the upcoming State playoffs.

“I don’t feel we’ve reached all our goals as a team yet, but we are very close to attaining them,” said Drummer.

The starting date and competition bracket for State playoffs is to be announced mid-March.

Eleven Poly wrestlers traveled to Santiago and wrestled at the CIF Individuals Tournament on February 21 and 22.  Four of the wrestlers placed at the tournament and qualified to compete at the CIF Master’s Meet the following weekend.

Last year, Poly was only able to send two wrestlers to the Master’s Meet.  This year, they were able to double last year’s output by sending four wrestlers to Master’s: junior Malik Livingston and seniors Sazar Barnes, David Martinez and Dominic Price.  Livingston, Martinez and Price received third place while Barnes received fourth place.  This was Price’s second time qualifying at Master’s.

“It’s a domino effect,” said coach Mike Hughes. “Especially in the play-offs, how your teammates wrestle affect how you wrestle.”

After Santiago, the four wrestlers traveled to the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA for Master’s.  Unfortunately for the wrestlers, Master’s did not unfold like CIF Individuals did.  Barnes, Livingston and Martinez were unable to make it to the second day of wrestling.  Price was the only one to wrestle another day.

“You feel it as soon as you step off of the mat,” said Barnes. “You start thinking you could’ve wrestled harder and you start thinking about what you could’ve done differently.”

Wrestlers who place at least ninth at Master’s become qualified to wrestle at the State tournament at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.  Price had the opportunity to do that.

In the last match of the weekend, Price wrestled for ninth place.  Unfortunately, Price was called for interlocking hands while his opponent was considered to be on his knees.  This was a technical violation, which resulted in his opponent being awarded one point.  By the end of the match, Price lost by that one point and was not qualified to wrestle at State.[pullquote align=”left” speaker=”Dominic Price”]I gave it my all. I’m sad it ended the way it did, but I had a great season.[/pullquote]

“I gave it my all,” said senior Dominic Price. “I’m sad it ended the way it did, but I had a great season.”

Although the wrestling season is over, there will be off-season tournaments held every Saturday after March 8 (CIF State Tournament) at different locations.  The whole wrestling team is anxious to enter the off-season and polish their skills.