Category: Sports

  • Track Takes CIF

    Track Takes CIF

    The Poly boys and girls track and field team competed at CIF finals at Cerritos College. In a close finish for the team title, the girls won another CIF-Southern Section Championship. The girls track team won its eighth consecutive CIF title in the sport

    The girls started off the meet with the 4×100 meter relay. Poly holds the national record in this event, and has the second fastest time in California this year. The relay competed better than expected, and, aided by a strong third leg by Junior Maya Perkins, crossed the finish line in first place (46.22 seconds).

    The athletes competed for placing, which added valuable points.

    Senior Je’Neal Ainsworth was a vital part to the team’s success. Ainsworth grabbed valuable points, winning the triple jump with a new personal record of 36 feet 8 inches. She also scored points with her fourth place finish in the 100-meter hurdles (14.68).

    “To help the team win a title, I felt valuable,” said Ainsworth.

    Trackrabbits also placed well in the 100 meter dash, with Perkins, freshman Ariyonna Augistine, and sophomore Kenyla Miles placing fourth, sixth, and seventh, respectively. Sophomore Melissa Tanaka placed eighth in the 1600m (5:11.97), and many others scored points in high jump, long jump, and triple jump.

    Senior Chris Polk was the only Poly boy to qualify for CIF finals as an individual. Polk finished eight in the 800-meter race, with a time of 1:57.34. The 4×400-meter relay finished in fourth place with a time of 3:18.52. It consisted of senior Chris Donawa, sophomore Zion Bowens, junior Cameron Brown, and senior Chris Polk. Unfortunately the relay was disqualified for a lane violation.

    Despite the abrupt end to his track season, Chris Donawa remained positive.

    “My team always pushed me to do my best and be the best that I can be. It’s hard to be a ‘rabbit, so I always held my head up high and put my best foot forward, win or lose,” said Donawa.

    “[Winning] was very exciting for the team as a whole. We were doubted by others going in,” said head coach Crystal Irving

    The team will continue their path to the California State meet, and races next at the CIF Masters meet at Cerritos College on May 30. The girls are defending state champions, and have won the state championship 14 times in total.

  • Freshman Emily Knous, a phenomenal mid center of the Poly Varsity Soccer Team, has recently participated in the national championships for Olympic Development Teams.

    Having been selected for the first time to play in the national champsionships from the Olympic Development Program, which she has been a part of for four years, Knous carried her team to victory after double over time and penalty kicks.

    Her team placed first in the nation after facing off the three other regional teams in the United States.

    However, Knous’ astounding accomplishments don’t stop there; she is a student in CIC and plays violin in Poly’ssymphonic orchestra.

    “Balancing it is a big part of everything because academics has always come first before soccer,” says Knous about her crazy schedule.

    “[I have to find] the time and make the most of doing homework in the car.”

    Knous aspires to play soccer at a high college level after high school, and become a professional soccer player. If soccer doesn’t work out, she hopes to work in marketing for Nike.

    Being in the Olympic Development Program exposes Knous to the top tier athletes in the nation, her among them.

    “Meeting girls all over the country is a really fun experience because no matter where you go, you see friends you don’t necessarily get to see every day,” says Knous.

    Knous says that most of all she has her parents to thank for helping her achieve her goals thus far. She also cites her personal trainer Jason Martinez as a “huge part of [her] success.”

  • Water Polo is A First Round Sinker

    The 2014-2015 water polo season has come to an end as the girls were devastated by a 21-7 upset against San Clemente on Thursday, February 19. Beside their first round cut from CIF, the girls finished second in Moore League, losing against the Bruins on Jan 22. but prevailing against Lakewood on Jan. 29th and Millikan on Feb .12.

    On Feb. 20, the girls entered CIF-Prelims, playing San Clemente, who was seeded second in CIF-D2. The girls hoped to continue onto CIF finals, but unfortunately were not able push past San Clemente as they took a devastating 21-7 loss. While most of San Clemenete’s goals were shot by their aggressive set player, Poly’s sophomore Julia Mangandi put up four goals, accompanied by two from freshman Sydney Brightenburg.

    “Their set player was the one scoring most of their points. She would get the ball and the posession wouldn’t be close to over when she would already have had scored,” said Captain Carina Monaco.

    As their final game of the Moore League season, the girls faced the Millikan Rams on Thursday, Feb. 12. It seemed as if it would be a close game as the Rams came really aggressive, shooting two goals the first quarter. As the game progressed the Rams slowly started to give into Poly’s persisting offensive, giving up eight goals by the end of the game. Mangdani led the scoreboards with three goals, followed by juniors Carina Monaco and Taylor Martin who each had two, with Brightenburg scoring the last goal of the game. The jackrabbits put their final win for the season in the books with a 8-2 victory.

    “Overall the season was pretty good. We finished second in Moore League and everyone progressed a lot this year. It wasn’t a bad season,” said Martin.

  • Basketball Gets a Second Chance

    This week the boys and girls basketball team will continue their season in a march through the state playoffs. But prior to this week both teams lost and are out of the race to a CIF Championship.

    After losing a tough game to Chino Hills, the boys team were given the task to remain undefeated in the rest of the CIF playoffs if they wanted to continue their season and play for State.

    “After the first round loss we had to regroup and figure out what we needed to do in order to win the rest of our games,” said junior Drew Buggs.

    Their first challenge was Price. This was an easy away victory for the boys as shown by the score throughout the entire game, never letting Price get control of the game. The Jackrabbits led the whole game and finished it with an effortless win and score of 67-50.

    Their next opponent was St. John Bosco. Poly had the upper hand until half time when Bosco led by 1 point going into the 3rd quarter. However, at the end of the 3rd, Poly controlled the lead and was up by 4. The remaining quarter of the game was a back and forth battle between the two teams, but fortunately the Jackrabbits were able to pull through with a 10 point victory over St. John Bosco.

    Junior Drew Buggs maneuvers the ball on the court.
    Marco Montemayor
    Junior Drew Buggs maneuvers the ball on the court.

    Fortunately, Poly was able to come through with a win. This was vital because with this win they are able to advance to the State playoffs.

    “Now were on a 3 game win streak and we hope to continue it in the State playoffs,” said Buggs.

    Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same comeback story for the girls, who were recently eliminated

    from the CIF playoffs. But luckily for the girls, they will still be able to advance to the State playoffs.

    Before they were eliminated, the girls played against Vista Murrieta. This was a close game, with Poly was trailing 37-40 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Jackrabbits pushed through and ended up beating them 58-54.

    Their next opponent was

    Chaminade who they played as visitors on Feb. 27. Chaminade led the whole game and Poly was just not able to respond. Poly trailed the whole game and finished with the score of 66- 77. With this loss the girls were eliminated from the CIF playoffs.

    “Fixing areas we struggled, watching footage to see what we need to fix, practicing, working

    hard, changing are mentality to know we have to play harder,” said junior Eliza Matthews.

    even though neither team won the CIF championship there is still hope for a State Championship. The boys played sylmar yesterday, but the score could not be reported due to time constraints. The girls will play Mission Hills at Poly on Friday, Mar. 13.

  • Soccer Falls Flat

    The Poly girls soccer Jackrabbits suffered a devastating defeat, falling to Mater Dei in overtime in the CIF semi-finals game last Tuesday, March 3. Poly started with a strong lead, with Daria Manzano’s corner kick, which Leslie Walker took home in the 19th minute, scoring the first goal. But early on in the second half, Mater Dei showed they wouldn’t go down without a fight, and scored a goal, tying up the game. Neither team could take the win within the rest of the regulation time, so the Monarchs and the Jackrabbits headed into overtime.

    It was quite the battle, but Mater Dei rose to victory, with monarch Briana Meyer scoring the last goal. It was a heartbreaking sight on the field, seeing our lady jackrabbits fall to their knees in devastation, most of which were seniors, knowing it was the last time they’d play on that field wearing that jersey. In an interview for Gazette sports, Poly’s coach Terri Collins spoke highly of her senior girls that will go out as real champions.

    “These seniors changed the tide and the culture here,” Collins said. “We went into the gym and lunch and looked at a league banner with titles in 2012, 2014, and 2015.”

    Our soccer seniors spoke out on their abrupt end to their high school soccer career at Long Beach Poly.

    “It’s a sad moment knowing I’ll never wear a poly jersey again,” said senior Imani McDonald, goalie of four years here at Poly. “These past four years had shaped me into the person I am…they’ve taught me what it takes to overcome adversity and people’s opinion of you. I am extremely grateful for what Poly soccer has done for me.”

    But even with their season ending, the Poly soccer girls know their gained experience and bond with each other will last forever.

    “It was a bitter sweet moment, but mostly bitter…but we’ve accomplished so much this season and had to overcome obstacles to get as far as we did. My four years on poly soccer allowed me to build strong relationships with a group of girls that I will cherish forever,” said senior Ckelana Ceaser.   The girls soccer seniors know they are going out strong with love, honor, and opportunity surrounding them.

    “There’s nothing to hang our heads about. We had an amazing season, and I’m so blessed that I had this opportunity to play with some amazing girls. These four seasons have just made me become a better player because you’re playing with some amazing players and you all are doing something together you’re so passionate about,” said Manzano.

    With the final CIF girls soccer game ending with a 2-1 defeat, the girls will walk away with their heads held high, ready to take on the next challenge in the soccer world awaits them.

     

  • Slam Dunk On These Hoops

    The 2014-2015 basketball season is finally here for the Jackrabbits. The boys team is starting the season off great, winning first and second place in their first two tournaments. In their first tournament, the Pac Shores Tournament, the team looked amazing with a 4-0 winning streak against Taft, Inglewood, Westchester, and Redondo Union.
    The championship game against Redondo Union was nail-biting, going into overtime with Poly scoring the final basket, taking a 63-61 lead with 2.9 seconds remaining. Poly’s defense was able to hold off Redondo for the last seconds, and the Jackrabbits were able to win the game. Sophomore Zafir Williams was awarded Player of the Game with his contribution of 27 points to the scoreboard.
    “I just came in the game feeling confident, doing what I needed to for our team to get the win,” said Williams.
    On Dec. 12, the boys played their second tournament as they participated in the Beverly Hills Tournament. The Jackrabbits started out strong with receiving 15 plus wins in their first 3 games of the tournament against Birmingham, Santa Monica, and Westchester. Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits fell short in the championship game, losing 63-59 to Loyola. Despite this one loss, the Jackrabbits have started off this season great and look to continue this spark going into the Tarkanian Classic Las Vegas tournament this week from Dec. 17 to 21.
    “As a team we have gotten better playing together and playing a lot of people in the games,” said junior point guard Drew Buggs.
    The Lady Jackrabbits are also successful, as they went 4-0 in the Redondo Union Tournament, winning the championship 63-57 against Chaminade as well. The girls team heads off to Arizona for the Nike Tournament of Champions this upcoming week of Dec. 17 to 21. Both teams are starting off the season strong and aim to continue with great success. Even though they have the same two weeks off from school, they are still focused on basketball playing games well throughout the whole winter break. The boys will face Wilson on Jan. 7, and the girls will face Millikan on Jan. 9 for their first Moore League games.

  • Jackrabbits Not So Brave

    The Long Beach Poly football team ended their season on Friday, Nov. 28 when they lost to St. John Bosco 33-21. The team finished 11-2, with another undefeated Moore League record.
    After a nail-biting 34-33 win against Servite in the first round, the team prepared to face Crespi High School. The Celts favored running the ball the entire season. Their veer offense used three running backs, and seldom passing. While most teams had difficulty defending the veer, Poly solidly shut it down.
    Poly had difficulty adjusting to the veer in the first half. The Celts appeared to march down the ball with ease, scoring time-consuming touchdowns. Josh Love was getting pressured. Entering halftime, Crespi led 21-13.
    The second half of the game was all in favor of Poly. Poly outscored the Celts 31-6 in this half. The Jackrabbits took advantage of the Celts’ cover 0 defense, allowing for deep yardage plays. Poly bullied the Celts in the second half, both on the ground and in the air.
    After beating Crespi, the team upheld their tradition of practicing on Thanksgiving. This tradition signifies that the team is deep enough in the playoffs to compete afterwards. They prepared to face St. John Bosco High School, the defending national champions. However, the Braves were seeking redemption from losing to Poly two years ago. The “Fog Bowl” resulted with Poly winning 13-10.
    The two teams faced at Cerritos College on Friday, Nov. 28. With all the hype surrounding the game in front of a sellout crowd the Jackrabbits got off to a quick start. After some quick defensive stops, Josh Love completed a deep touchdown pass to senior receiver Johnnie Rucker, putting Poly up 7-0. After going back and forth, Bosco led at halftime 20-14. Mistakes hurt the Jackrabbits, with a pick-six and muffed punt.
    Poly’s second half was a struggle. With Love sidelined with injury, the team could not generate enough offense to win. With just a single touchdown in the second half, Bosco won 33-21.
    “It just didn’t go our way. I wish I had another shot,” said senior quarterback Josh Love.
    Currently, the football team is in off season practicing and conditioning. During the spring time, the team will have practices more focused to get ready for next season.

  • Cross Country’s Final Stretch

    Cross country season comes to a successful close with the conclusion of the CIF Finals, State, Hoka, and Footlocker races.
    Both guys and girls placed at CIF Finals, which took place on Nov.22 at the Mt. SAC course. As a team, the boys placed 4th, with junior Colby Penn paving the road with a time of 15:14, giving him 36th place out of 100. The girls team placed 5th, led by sophomore Melissa Tanaka, who finished with a time of 18:39 giving her 24th place out of 100.
    “I was so happy when I found out that our team had made it to state,” said Tanaka. “Everyone was crowded together, and when we heard the good news, we all started jumping around and screaming.”
    Despite fatigue due to long, intense workouts, both boys and girls ran their best. “The race was difficult because our team have had a very long, hard season and though at the end, all of our bodies were pretty sore and beat up, I think I did pretty well and I know our team did much better than we all had expected,” said Tanaka.
    State finals took place exactly a week after on Saturday, Nov. 29 in Fresno, California. Junior Gian Delfin took the lead, with a time of 16:16, followed by Penn, who ran a 16:21. Following close behind was sophomore Hugo Novoa, who ran a 16:23, and senior Matthew Oca, with a time of 16:28. Finishing strong were junior Conor Ragland, senior Brennan Bruggeman, and freshman Eric Hatch, with times of 16:41, 16:55, and 16:57 respectively.
    The girls were once again led by Tanaka, who finished with a time of 19:05, followed by sophomore Juliane Douds, freshmen Fiona O’Leary and Leslie Diaz, who ran with times of 19:15, 19:19, and 19:22. Closing for Poly were sophomores Lauren Fillipow, Brenda Rosales, and Olivia Gleason, with times of 19:30, 19:31, and 19:39. Poly took state by storm, with the boys placing 12th overall, while the girls placed 9th out of all the top cross country teams in the state.
    “It was such a euphoric moment. It was so satisfying to know all of our hard work paid off,” said Oca. “The most difficult thing about the courses was being able to strategize your effort at certain portions of the course and being patient to make your move.”
    Unfortunately, they did not qualify for Nationals, but the cross country team still ended the season on a fair note.
    “Personally, I feel I gave it my all and can look back without regrets which is great since it was my last high school cross country season,” added Oca.
    Though the official cross country season ended with the CIF State race, there were two open races held afterward: Hoka and Footlocker. Hoka took place on Dec. 4 at Cerritos College, where once again Poly dominated with Novoa taking first place. “It was fun and I made the best of it, even if it was a small race,” said Novoa.
    Footlocker was held on Dec .6, again at Mt.SAC, and was open to all runners. “It was different not racing with Poly on your chest,” said junior Carl Hatch. “It was a great opportunity to learn about the course for next season.”
    The cross country team has begun its transition to outdoor track and hopes for an equally successful season.

  • Poly Demands Moore

    On Thursday Oct 30, the Poly football team faced another league opponent: the Millikan rams. This game was more than a regular game, it featured special guests and honored veterans. On the sidelines of the game was UCLA head football coach Jim Mora. In addition, senior linebacker Omari Lyles sang the national anthem a capella before the game
    The Main attack for Millikan was running back Donald Gordon. However, the Poly defense held him to under 30 yards during the entire game. When Millikan threw the ball, many passes were either deflected or intercepted. Junior Kobe Williams had an interception on Millikan’s first drive, and Junior De’Andre Pierce had one later in the game.
    The Poly offense had a relatively fast start, having explosive plays in both running and passing the ball. Senior running backs Jeremy Calhoun and James Brooks had significant play time, and ran the ball well.
    Senior receiver Justin Calhoun had three receptions for 30 yards, and three touchdowns. Senior Iman “Biggie” Marshall showed off ball handling skills, with a 35 yard juggling touchdown catch. Going into halftime the score was 44-0, Poly leading.
    The Thursday game honored veterans for their service. Players wore camouflage pants, and presented a $1000 check at halftime for the Wounded Warrior Project. The announcer introduced various veterans from each of the armed services who were also Poly alumni.
    The second half of the game had a running clock, and the second string players were inserted. In the end, the Jackrabbits won by a blowout score of 57-0. This is the second shutout in the regular season, with Cabrillo being the first, 49-0.
    Poly (8-1, 5-0) will have their final home game against Wilson on November 7. In the regular season finale, the senior players will be honored for their commitment, as it is Senior Night. In a classic Moore League showdown, the two oldest high schools in Long Beach will battle it out as “The Tradition Lives on.” The next games will be determined by the CIF playoff brackets. The playoff games will feature tougher competition. Some possible teams to play are St. John Bosco, Junipero Serra, and Corona Centennial. These formidable opponents are much better than the teams Poly faces in the regular season

  • XC on Road to State

    It was a good day to be a Jackrabbits as both the boys and girls cross country teams qualified for CIF Finals last Saturday, Nov. 15 on the famed Mt.SAC cross country course.

    After winning another straight Moore League title earlier this month, the boys and girls showed an outstanding effort at the CIF-Southern Section Prelims. Both teams get that much farther on the road to state as the boys placed 4th in their heat and the girls win theirs heat. Because of their exceptional efforts, Poly is advancing to the CIF-Southern Section Finals this Saturday November 22, Once again held at Mt. Sac.

    “For us, prelims for the last few years have been a kind of cushion We needed to run hard, but we didn’t have to kill it. They all ran pretty decent times without all that effort and with that attitude, the guys know they can make it. It’s just psychological, they know they can do it,” said boys head coach Mike Fillpow.

    First in the chute for Poly was junior Colby Penn, running with a time of 15:55. Penn was followed closely by fellow juniors Gian Delfin (16:03) and Conor Ragland (16:11). Senior Matt Oca finished fourth for the Jackrabbits with a time of 16:20. Poly’s varsity underclassmen finished soon after as sophomore Hugo Novoa, and freshman Eric Hatch come in neck and neck at 16:27 and 16:29 respectively. Rounding out the jackrabbits score was senior Brennan Bruggeman running 16:35 and pilling the boys in for a fourth place finish.

    “We were in a position where we didn’t have to go all out. WE were able to breeze through and make it to finals. I’m proud of the guys and I know we can make it to state this weekend,” said Penn.

    The girls took to the start line almost an hour later. With a relatively young team of all underclassmen, the girls ran the second heat of division one.

    “It was really fun. It was just a good experience to race e with girls at that caliber,” said sophomore varsity member Olivia Gleason. “There are supposed to be more people at finals and we can only hope we do well.”

    Sophomore Juliane Douds leads the way for Poly, finishing with a time of 18:40. She was soon followed by Gleason who ran an 18:46. Freshman Fiona O’Leary comes in right behind Gleason as she finishes

    with an 18:47 in her varsity race. Next to finish for the girls were sophomore Lauren Fillipow (18:55), Melissa Tanaka (18:52), and Brenda Rosales (19:02). The girls’ scores were rounded out by freshman Leslie Diaz coming in with a time off 19:19 to pull the jackrabbits to a first place win.

    The jackrabbits will be at Mt. SAC once again this Saturday, Nov. 22, to compete for the chance to make it to state. If they make it, the boys will revisit Fresno like they did two years ago. For the girls, this would be their first time competing at state.

  • Volleyball Sets CIF Dreams Away

    All great things must come to an end. The Lady Jackrabbits worked hard to make it to into the playoffs but on Nov. 18, their hard work wasn’t enough as they fell to J. Serra in the first round of CIF, resulting in a five set loss.
    The Jackrabbits started off slow, losing the first set 25-21, but fortunately bounced back winning the second round 27-25. With a new confidence boost, the girls took the third set with the help of senior Erin Williams and her 16 kills. Hope was high for the jackrabbits, until J. Serra responded back winning both the fourth and fifth set, with scores of 25-17 and 15-8 respectively. With the loss came the girls end to their CIF career.
    In the game senior Nofo Keil had 11 kills followed by 10 kills from Tati Yandall.
    “The passing was off and the pressure was up. That’s all we wanted to do: fight hard for Poly,” said Yandall.

  • Water Polo Fails to Mater

    Water Polo Fails to Mater

    This year our Poly water polo team successfully advance from the Moore League to CIF playoffs, unfortunately we were eliminated in the first round by Mater Dei. On November 12, our water polo team played its last game of the 2014 season ending in a 19-2 loss against Monarchs. Coming into the game it was tough being that the opponent had a 16-3 overall record for the season. In the first half of the game it seemed the Jackrabbits couldn’t respond to anything the Monarchs threw at them, by allowing 7 goals in the first quarter and 3 in the second. In the third quarter the Jackrabbits created a spark when sophomore John Claridy scored a goal allowing the Jackrabbits to get on the board, even though the Monarchs scored 5 goals of their own. In the final quarter of the game hope was kept alive when sophomore Patrick Murray scored another goal for the Jackrabbits, but the Monarchs responded with 4 goals closing out the game 19-2. With this loss the Jackrabbits were eliminated from the playoffs and played their final game of the season.