Author: adviser

  • Poly Sails to 1st Place in Golden Bear Regatta

    Poly Sails to 1st Place in Golden Bear Regatta

    On February 22 and 23 Poly’s sailing team led by junior captain Emily Golison won 1st place in the Silver Division of the Golden Bear Regatta in San Francisco, beating 31 other teams. A total of 64 teams competed, split into groups of 32 for the Gold and Silver Division.

    The Golden Bear Regatta, which took place in San Francisco’s Treasure Island, is hosted by UC Berkley for high school sailing teams to come and compete.

    Poly’s delegation consisted of skippers Emily Golison and Luke Van Lant and crew members Beth Golison and Meredith Dobson. While on the water, the team sails in rotations with one sailboat that contains one crew member, who mans the jib (the smaller sail), and one skipper who makes the tactical decisions and controls the main sail. In the Golden Bear Regatta each two-member team raced in two race rotations.

    The win was especially exciting, as Poly’s small sailing team of four members won against schools such as Newport that brought 20 or more sailors.

    “Although our team is smaller than most, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities to compete and now beat the bigger schools. One of the best advantages of having such a small team is the fact that we bonded so well and became such great friends. We get to sail every race, and learn key skills such as teamwork,” said Emily Golison, about the team.

  • Rough Midseason for Boys Soccer

    Rough Midseason for Boys Soccer

    Boys’ soccer has had a rough season, losing all but three games this season. They were able to secure a tie against the Lakewood Lancers and two wins over Compton.

    On Friday, February 7, the boys visited Jordan for their second confrontation against the Panthers.  This time around, the Poly boys were able to put up a better fight, scoring a goal in the second quarter. Unfortunately, for the Jackrabbits, they were still not able to get the win losing 3-1.

    The boys then hosted Lakewood on January in their second encounter of the season, but were not as lucky as they were before with the tie, losing to the Lancers 1-0.

    “We have a great team relationship. We communicate well, but the other teams are just stronger than we are,” said sophomore Zach Moran.

    On January 29, the Jackrabbits were able to secure one of their wins of the season against Compton. Juniors Brian Rodriguez and Edgar Portillo each scored a goal; and the Jackrabbits able to secure a 2-1 win.

    “It was a last minute goal. The game was coming to a close, and I wanted to do it for my team,” said Rodriguez.

    On January 27, the boys visited Millikan to play the number one ranked team in league. Just as their last game against the Rams on January 8 where they lost 3-1, the boys were just not able to compete, losing yet again with a final score of 3-0.

    On January 22, Wilson visited Poly for the teams’ first encounter. It was a fighting battle for the Jackrabbits, especially after the Bruins shot their winning goal in the first five minutes of the game. The Jackrabbits lost to the Bruins 1-0.     

    On January 24, the boys hosted Cabrillo in their second match against the Jaguars. The Jackrabbits where able to put up a good fight but unfortunately were not able to get the win over the Jaguars, losing 3-1.

    “We don’t have the best record, but I know we give our best effort at each game. We are learning from our mistakes,” said senior team captain Grant Lewis.

    The boys are currently sixth (2-8-1) in league, trailing right after Wilson. The boys played Wilson yesterday, January 12, but could not be covered due to press time constraints.

  • Wrestling Pins Down the Panthers

    The wrestling team faced off at Jordan on Thursday, January 30 for the last Moore League dual meet of the season for both teams.

    The Jackrabbits came out strong with back-to-back pins in the 106- and 113- pound classes from junior Enrique Luna and freshman Elijah Nastor respectively to give Poly a 12-0 lead.  This was Nastor’s first ever varsity match.

    “I thought I was going to lose badly,” said Nastor. “I thought I was going to get beat up and get humiliated, but I somehow won and I was able to get my hand raised.”

    The Panthers picked it up and were able to get on the board with a 14-0 major decision in the 120-pound class give them four points.  They then added six more to their score with a pin the 126-pound category, making the score 12-10 with Poly leading by two points.

    In the 132-pound class, sophomore Amahn Mallet was able to win with a 7-3 decision to add three more points to Poly’s score.  Both teams did not have a 138 pound wrestler, so neither team received points in that weight class.

    Jordan got a pin in the 145-pound category and a 9-3 victory in the 152-pound category.  These victories gave the Panthers a four point lead with the score 19-15.

    Jordan did not have any wrestlers in the 160-, 170-, 182-, and 195- pound classes.  Seniors Elia Taase and Sazar Barnes along with juniors Malik Livingston and William Hillard got their hands raised without breaking a sweat.  These byes gave Poly a total of 24 points and gave the Jackrabbits the lead with 39-15.

    With the last actual match of the night, in the 220-pound class, Jordan was able to get the pin to help minimize the lead by six points.  Poly did not have a 285-pound wrestler and Jordan received another six points, making the final score 39-31.

    “I believe we can have at least seven Moore League champions this year,” coach Mike Hughes said.

    The Jackrabbits look to host and prepare for the Moore League Individual Finals on Saturday, February 15.

    “Although we won as a team, Jordan won more actual wrestling matches than us,” said coach Brian Johnson. “We need to be more hungry to win.”

  • Girls Water Polo Sinks Millikan Rams

    Girls Water Polo Sinks Millikan Rams

    The Poly girls water polo team played very strongly against Millikan High School, beating them 13-12. Before the game, the team knew they were playing a tough opponent. The girls came out strong, but the Rams took the lead, and entered halftime with an 8-6 lead. The Jackrabbits played a stronger second half, and outscored the Rams 7-4. This close game ended with Poly on top, 13-12.

    “It was a great game. I know we played the best we could, they were just better than I expected them to be,” said sophomore Carina Monaco.

  • His Opinion on “Her”

    His Opinion on “Her”

    Spike Jonze uses technology and its seemingly infinite possibilities to reveal poignant truths about love and intimacy in his new film “Her.”

    Set in future Los Angeles, Joaquin Phoenix takes on the role of Theodore Twombley, a bespectacled, lonely man emotionally distraught from his recently failed marriage. His coping mechanisms include video games and salacious phone conversations, none of which provide the affection and happiness he so actively craves.

    He finds newfound hope through Samantha, a super intelligent operating system who serves as his trusted confidant and adventurous friend. Voiced by Scarlett Johansson, Samantha has a profound presence in the movie, despite her disembodied nature. What she lacks in physicality is made up for by her undying intellectual curiosity, more specifically her interest in learning and adopting human ways.

    It is this trait that sparks an instant attraction between the two, and leads to the formation of a relationship deemed slightly idiosyncratic but socially acceptable by his peers. Inevitably, they encounter issues stemming from her virtual nature and resort to various options as an attempt to solve them, such as hiring a surrogate to act as Samantha, but to no avail.

    Though extremely unconventional, Theodore’s relationship is still at the mercy of love and its complications– the passionate sentiments, constant sexual tensions, and unfortunately, the possibility of discovering irreconcilable differences. Samantha’s limitless capacity to learn entails her constant evolution into something more advanced and developed than ever seen before, with abilities unable to be comprehended and accepted by Theodore.

    This is one of the few movies where I can wholeheartedly say that the roles were perfectly cast. Phoenix plays the role of Theodore with such emotion that I couldn’t help but feel his pain and anguish and relish in his excitement. Johansson does what few can do: entice and captivate in a disembodied state. Even the minor characters have their distinct personalities to them, from the eccentric and crazed best friend Amy (Amy Adams) to the self-deprecating, almost ethereal ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara).

    Jonze masterfully portrays a future dominated by technology, where social interaction is an alien concept and mental absence from reality is considered normal. People are so enveloped in their virtual conversations that public spaces are obsolete, merely serving as passageways for the absentminded. It comes to a point where gadgetry is so advanced that it crosses into the realms of humanity and takes personification to a literal level, as manifested through Samantha. Though at times slightly unsettling, the film does not fail to provide an eye-opening perspective on our increasingly growing dependency on technology.

    It also exposes the unified nature about love, contrary to society’s beliefs. Everyone has this perception of love being one-of-a-kind and relative to the individual, but upon further analysis, this movie proves that the majority long for the same things, like physical attraction, compatibility, and acceptance.

    One of the truly noteworthy aspects of the film was its cinematography. Hoyte Van Hoytema creates a cold, distant backdrop of glass and steel, juxtaposed with pops of reds and blues, conveying a sense of warmth amid the futuristic. In addition, the movie’s use of familiar sites, like Santa Monica Pier and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, elicit visual familiarity, and consequently, conceived presence.

    A refreshing take on the romantic comedy/drama, “Her” lives up to its numerous accolades and honors. Provocative yet endearing, it will surely be an emotionally appealing watch.

    Grade: A

  • Poly Pride Extends To Poly Burgers

    Poly Pride Extends To Poly Burgers

    Since its creation in 1995, Poly Burgers has played a pivotal role in Poly’s off-campus culture.

    The burger joint, located two blocks to the right of Poly, frequently attracts students with its inexpensive, salty fries and student-friendly atmosphere.

    Anyone who steps into Poly Burgers on a weekday afternoon can observe the swarms of Poly students laughing and sharing their paper sacks full of french fries, burgers and sandwiches.

    Yukon Oh originally bought the building as “Tomy Burgers,” but changed the name of his restaurant when he found customers were confusing his business with a franchise of the same name.

    “I thought about many names, and since this block of businesses is often called the ‘Poly Plaza.’ I asked the school if I could use the name Poly Burgers, and they said yes,” explained Oh.

    The name change simply labeled the business’s already well-established relationship with Poly students, and gave it stronger ties to the school.

    “I come here four to five times a week,” said junior Jimmy Ruiz, as he sat with a few of his friends at one of the tables outside of Poly Burgers. “It’s convenient and you get a lot [of food].”

    When asked about the nature of a restaurant where the main customers are students, Oh answered with a smile.

    “Since the beginning, students respect Poly Burgers, they listen if I request something, they act respectfully, just like they do in school. Customers think they look wild, that they look eccentric, but they don’t harm anybody.” Thank goodness for that, since

    Poly students are Poly Burger’s most loyal fans. Poly Burgers has a culture of its own. One woman, whom everyone knows as ‘Mama G,’ sports a black security jacket and calls herself the protector of the students who come to eat at Poly Burgers.

    “Mama G is our protector. She takes care of us,” explained senior Amanda Martinez, a regular of the restaurant.

    Oh estimated that Mama G has been visiting Poly Burgers for more than 10 years. Her presence adds to the idiosyncrasies of Poly Burgers that make it an integral part of the Long Beach community.

    Poly Burger has also given back to the Poly community.

    “Over the many years, I’ve tried to support Poly by donating to the ethnic clubs, football, baseball, basketball, and track,” said Oh, “It’s not much, but I try.” In fact, every year Poly Burgers donates a $1000 scholarship to Poly students.

    Regardless of whether it’s the food or the faces, the students keep coming back.

    “I’ve always considered it a must if you go to Poly,” said junior Maria Palaroan, as she licked a soft-serve ice cream she had just bought from Poly Burgers.

    “Yea, if you go to Poly, you go to Poly Burgers,” chimed in junior Jeffrey Lam, waving a fry.

    As much as Poly Burgers is loved for its consistencies, Mr. Oh said he is trying to improve his menu with the addition of healthier options.

    “Now many people look for healthy food- we have chicken salad and veggie bowls,” said Oh.

    While Poly Burgers may be including new items on their menu, it seems as though Oh is confident that his business doesn’t need to drastically change. He knows students will keep coming back for the food they’ve always loved, and Poly Burgers will continue to be an iconic tie between the school it’s named after and the surrounding Long Beach community.

  • Boys Soccer Kicks It Over Compton

    Boys Soccer Kicks It Over Compton

    Boys soccer hosted Compton on January 10, and were able to come out with a 2-1 victory. Both goals were scored by junior Cole McCarthy in the first and second half. Unfortunately, the boys let a goal get past their defense when Compton scored their only goal at the last minute. The boys are fifth in Moore League (1-2-1) right behind the Wilson Bruins.

  • Wilson Bruins Take Down Girls Water Polo

    The Poly girl’s water polo team entered Moore League competition. On Thursday, January 16 the girls played Wilson high school, losing 17-7. The previous week, the team played the Mission Viejo Diablos, and lost, 7-6.

    The girls played the Wilson Bruins. The Bruins are the toughest competition for the Jackrabbits in the Moore League.

     “If we put our minds into it, we can win,” said sophomore Taylor Martin. Unfortunately for the Jackrabbits, the Bruins were too tough of a match. [pullquote align=”left” speaker=”Taylor Martin”]We kept playing hard throughout the entire game. Next year we can definitely bring it.[/pullquote]

    Going into halftime, the score was in favor of Wilson: 8-4.

    “We didn’t give up,” said sophomore Carina Monaco. Monaco scored one point in the game. The girls on the team agreed that their team played really well against  a tough opponent.

    The Jackrabbits also played Mission Viejo, the previous Thursday. The Diablos took the early lead going into halftime 5-2. The Jackrabbits started to make a comeback in the second half, shutting out the Diablos in the fourth quarter.

    Two scores were made by freshman Julia Mangandi and senior Taylor Dorsey. Senior goalie Sinclair Taylor had six saves throughout the game.

    “We kept playing hard throughout the entire game,” said Martin. “Next year we can definitely bring it.”

    The next Moore League game is against Lakewood, followed by Jordan and Millikan.

     “We play them as if they’re Wilson” said sophomore Kamren Phillips.

    The team is relatively young, with three underclassman starting. For many, this is their first year starting in varsity positions. Freshmen Julia Mangandi and Bayla Foreman, sophomore Carina Monaco and sophomore Taylor Martin are all starting.

  • Boys Basketball Dunks Compton On The Court

    The boys basketball team (13-6, 4-0) beat Compton in a nail-biting 70-68 victory on Wednesday, January 15 to extend their Moore League winning streak to 54 games, including past seasons. Senior Kameron Murrell scored 23 points, senior Chris Sullivan scored 15 points, and junior KJ Feagin scored 14 points in a game that came down to the last 0.9 seconds.

    “Compton was a really fast-paced team, so our game plan was to slow them down and get them to play a half court set,” said Murrell.

    Poly did more than shut them down in the first quarter, where they quickly gained the lead with an And-one from junior Jordan Dallas, and back-to-back three-pointers from Murrell. Senior Jeff Calhoun’s steal that led to a crowd-roaring dunk from Sullivan ended the quarter with Poly leading 28-16.

    In the second quarter, Compton stopped Poly’s momentum. The boys tried to push the lead with And-one plays from Murrell and Sullivan, but the quarter belonged to Compton with the score at halftime being 40-32.

    “Throughout the whole year, we’ve had really tough third quarters. Teams we’ve played throughout the year have come back during the third quarter,” said Murrell. An And-one play from Compton and a technical foul called on Poly swayed the game in Compton’s direction. Poly responded with another three from Murrell (he would finish with five threes), baskets from Feagin and Sullivan and a defensive stop. Compton still owned the third quarter though it still ended 56-51, Jackrabbits.

    Compton surged ahead, and with 4:20 minutes left in the last quarter, took the lead for the first time, 60-59. The game came down to the last 28 seconds when, with Poly leading 66-62, Compton fouled Feagin. Feagin showed robotic poise when he sunk both free throws.

    “I thought, just gotta make the shot and put us in a position to win,” said Feagin.

    [pullquote align=”center” speaker=”KJ Feagin”]I thought, just gotta make the shot and put us in a position to win.[/pullquote]

    That should’ve sealed the deal, but Compton made a four point play with 13.3 seconds left. Compton again fouled Feagin, who sunk two more free throws. After Compton scored a quick basket, Poly held possession of the ball on an inbound play with 2.8 seconds to go and led by two points. The ball was inbounded to Murrell, whose momentum carried him out of bounds, his feet just millimeters off the line.

    “I was just trying to hold myself until time ran out. We had to regroup as a team. It was kind of like the Millikan game,” said Murrell. The week before, Poly beat Millikan 72-70 when Millikan missed a tip-in with 1.6 seconds to go.

    At 0.9 seconds, flashbacks from the Millikan game occurred when Compton missed the tip-in from the inbounds play for the Poly win.

    Unfortunately, that effort alone will not earn Poly a win at Compton’s home court. In addition to the spirited fans, Poly will face an improved team on February 5th.

    “They’ll be more comfortable with us, and probably attack us more,” said Calhoun.

    In the meantime, the boys will try to extend their winning streak against the Lancers at Lakewood high school today.

  • Girls Basketball Dominates Moore League Teams

    The girls basketball team (13-1, 4-0) has beaten every Moore League team by at least 45 points this year. They blew out Compton (96-10) last Wednesday, January 15. Freshman Danae Miller and senior Arica Carter scored 22 and 14 points respectively. On Friday, January 10 and Monday, January 13, Poly also routed Jordan and Cabrillo with scores of 90-17 and 81-31, respectively. However, the most remarkable game was the 75-30 crushing of the second-best Moore League team, Millikan, on Wednesday, January 8.

    “I think as a team we really played well, we came out and jumped on top of them early, and it sent them back to where they couldn’t respond,” said head coach Carl Buggs.

    With their new senior transfers Lajahna Drummer and Emoni Jackson eligible to play, Poly’s defense nearly had a first half shutout when the second quarter ended 38-6, Poly. Poly, now subbing up to five players at a time, continued to pull away even with their bench playing most of the minutes.

    The girls basketball team has won CIF and State titles, but has never won national championships. Poly has the talent to win a national championship, but they are not at full strength.

    “One of the things we’re faced with is we’re really banged up. We have five kids hurt, and three kids who also cannot play because of team academic standards,” said Coach Buggs.

    Poly will try to build their chemistry today, January 21 at Lakewood.

  • Girls H2O Polo Blasts Tournament Out of the Water

    Girls H2O Polo Blasts Tournament Out of the Water

    Poly’s girls Frosh/Soph water polo team won the Canyon Water Polo Tournament hosted by Canyon High School in Anaheim, California.  The competition pitted 18 schools against each other through six three-team brackets.  The girls blasted their way through the primary bracket on Friday, January 3 against Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Santiago, and Rosary.  They continued their winning streak on to Saturday, January 4 to win in a 8-3 match against Esparanza High School.

  • Wrestling Gets Rammed By Millikan

    The Jackrabbits wrestled Millikan on Thursday night, January 9 as their first home match of the season.  Poly was blown out, 45-23.

    Poly did not have a 106- pound wrestler, which put Millikan already ahead by six points.  Despite their lead, the Jackrabbits looked to come out strong with back to back wins from juniors Enrique Luna and Chris Lavery:  a pin from Luna and a win by points from Lavery.   

    “I felt pretty pumped after my pin,” said Luna. “And then after Lavery’s win, I kind of thought we had a chance to beat Millikan.”

    From there, however, Millikan was able to pin in the 126-, 132- and 138- pound categories.  The three in a row pins gave the Rams 18 points.  Senior Clancy Baker, one of Poly’s returning starters, broke the pin streak by winning in the 145- pound category, 7-4.

    After Baker’s win, the Rams were able to pin two more Jackrabbits and put 12 more points to their score.  Senior Sazar Barnes, another returning starter, broke that pin streak with an 8-5 win.  Poly then suffered their first and only loss by points in the 182 pound category.  Junior Malik Livingston and senior Dominic Price won their matches, 6-5 and 11-5, respectively.  The night was ended with a Millikan pin to seal a Poly loss, 23-45.

    “I wanted to beat Millikan,” said Barnes. “But there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’ and I can’t wrestle 14 guys.  I’ll just have to wait for individual finals.”

    Overall, Poly won six out of 14 matches.  All five returning starters won their matches. All of the eight matches the Jackrabbits lost were by first year Varsity wrestlers, seven of those losses were pins which gave Millikan 40 points.

    “Millikan came out like they wanted to wrestle,” said coach Mike Hughes.  “Now, we have to practice hard for second place in Moore League.”

    Poly then faced Wilson last Thursday January 16th and lost (39-38).  The specifics of this match could not be reported due to time restraints.  Their next match will be on January 23 at Lakewood.