Category: Sports

  • 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.

  • Rabbits Run For the Hills

         Poly’s Cross Country Team had a “hard run” this past week, from October 10th-18th, with the Clovis Run, Moore League, and Dos Pueblos race all in the same week..
    The Clovis Invitational is an intensive 3 mile race that took place in Fresno’s Woodward Park on Friday and Saturday, October 10-11. This exclusive race only hosts the boys, and only takes the top seven runners from all levels. Varsity member, Colby Penn, junior, came first for Poly’s boys’ team, with a time of 15:55. He was followed by Sophomore Hugo Novoa, with16:13, and then Junior Gian Delfin, with 16:24. Penn ranked 68th place out of 1895 contestants. Novoa
    was placed 125th, followed by Delfin who finished 174th.
        The second half of the boys Moore League happened on October 15th on Signal Hill, a 3 mile course and said to be one of the more difficult ones.
         “It’s hilly, full of dirt, and generally a slow course,” said Senior Kai Filipow.
         Despite the challenging course, it was a sweeping victory for Poly, who won first place once more.
         Yet again it was Penn, who ran a 16:23 that took first place. In second place came Novoa, who ran a 16:26, followed by Delfin and Junior Conor Ragland, who  both tied for third with a run time of 16:27. All in all, the boys did well on all levels.

         On the girls side, the Jackrabbits were commanding. Sophomore Melissa Tanaka won the race, with a personal best of 19:31. The rest of the team followed right after her, taking the top seven spots.
         From Friday October 17th to Saturday the 18th , all levels of the boy’s team were in Santa Barbara for the Dos Pueblos race. The 3 mile race was held at Shoreline Park, a scenic course along the windy coastline. Despite the difficulty of the course, with its gradual climb and tall grass, Poly still won for the 11th year in a
    row.
         Finishing first was Penn with a time of 15:50, shortly followed by Delfin who finished with a time of 15:55. One second behind Delfin was Novoa, who placed third with a time of 15:56.
    This Saturday, October 25th, with is the Mt.SAC race, where Poly should stand out. The next Moore League meet will be on November 6 at Heartwell Park.

  • Poly Silences the Lancers

    The Poly football team continues to roll through the M o o r e L e a g u e . T h e i r m o s t r e c e n t w i n o v e r L a k e w o o d (49-7) gives the Jackrabbits a current league record of 4-0. In the week leading up to  the Lakewood game, an article appeared online, which was highly critical of the Jackrabbits. Written by a Lakewood alumnus, this article caused a social media frenzy. Though the article was not officially associated with Lakewood H i g h S c h o o l o r L a k e w o o d football, it caused quite a stir.
         Before a packed and fired up crowd at Lakewood High  School, the Jackrabbits trampled the Lancers. This game was a record night for senior quarterback Josh Love. He threw for seven touchdowns, tying the school record. Four of the touchdowns were to senior cornerback Iman “Biggie” Marshall. The other three touchdowns were scored by senior Justin Calhoun, and juniors, Jackie Jones and Dae’John Logan

         “[Having the record] feels great, but it’s not just me. It’s my team. I had a lot of time in the pocket, thanks to my offensive line. The receivers made plays.” said Love.
         While the offense had a stellar evening, the defense was relentless throughout. Senior safety Kitu Humphrey had an interception. Senior linebacker Omari Lyles and senior defensive lineman Joseph Wicker put constant pressure on the quick and talented Lakewood senior quarterback Justin Collins. Entering halftime, Poly was leading 42-7. Unlike the previous Moore League games, the starters were left in, and continued to play for the second half. According to Poly coaches this strategy will be implemented in the remaining Moore League games to prepare the players for the tough postseason opponents.
          Another highlight happened earlier in the day, before the Lakewood game. Marshall was named an Under-Armour All- American. This prestigious title indicates he is one of the country’s best players. Marshallwill play in the All-American
    game in Florida in January.
        “It is a tremendous and great honor. I am now understanding my responsibility as a player. Getting  to wear All-American on my back and on my chest lets me respresent Poly.” said Marshall.

         The Friday before the Lakewood game the Jackrabbits traveled to Jordan High School, to compete against the Panthers. Before the game, a small ceremony was held in memory of Brad Davidson, who passed away this summer. Davidson was an administrator at both Jordan and Poly. A U.S. flag was draped over the field, and balloons of both colors were released into the air.
         In the dominating game, Poly beat the Panthers 54-10. An early fight by Jordan tied the game at 10, but the Jackrabbits showed a relentless offense and defense afterwards. Receivers Dae’John Logan and Justin Calhoun had strong performances in the air, while senior running back Jeremy Calhoun ran the ball effectively on the ground. After a bye week on October 24, the team has two home games to finish out Moore League competioin.
         They will face  Millikan on Thursday, October 3 0 , a n d Wi l s o n o n F r i d a y, November 7. The first round of post-season play begins on Friday, November 14. These teams are not determined until the CIF decides on a playoff bracket.
  • Quidditch is a Real Keeper

    Quidditch is a Real Keeper

    People may think of Quidditch as just a fictional sport from Harry Potter, but it can easily be played by Muggles (non-magic humans).

    The Long Beach Wonderbolts Quidditch Team (not directly associated with Poly) has been training every Saturday, preparing for games against colleges and high schools.

    For those who have not read Harry Potter, Quidditch is a game played on flying broomsticks that involves beating large airborne balls called bludgers at other players, scoring points with a ball called a quaffle, and catching a small, golden, winged sphere called a snitch.

    On land, Quidditch is much more like a mixture of rugby, soccer, and football.

    “The style of tackling is rugby’s. Soccer is blocking the hoops (keeping), while the receiving lines for the quaffle are just like the receivers in football,” says senior Samanda Sweet.

    There are many differences between the Quidditch Harry Potter played and the Quidditch Muggles now play, but the biggest difference after flying is the snitch. Sweet explains that the snitch in Muggle Quidditch is a human dressed in yellow that is chased, which brings in an element of tag.

    The Long Beach Wonderbolts have been around for four years, and if you’re interested in joining the crew, go to Heartwell Park this Saturday.

  • Polyball Smacks Panthers

         The Poly girls volleyball team played both league and non-league games over the middle weeks of October. Though not winning every game, the Jackrabbits showed perseverance against competitive opponents. On October 14th, the Lady Jackrabbits visited Jordan for a breezy win.
         The girls took advantage of this easy game and started strong from the beginning, winning the first set 25-9. The girls went on to win the second set with a score of 25-11, and the third set 25-8. Outside hitter Tati Yandall had 11 kills and right side hitter Jaylee had 8 kills.
         “The girls earned this game with hard work over the season,” said Head Coach Leland McGrath.
         On October 9, Poly was faced with their biggest league rival, the Lakewood Lancers for the second time this season. The Lady Jackrabbits went in strong, and were able to extend the game to four sets, a feat no other league team has been able to do against Lakewood since 2012. Though Poly won the first set, the Lancers won the game and took another step closer tot heir second straight league. Lakewood took the game with a 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, and 27-17 win. Yandall yet again led the team with 15 kills, followed by 7 kills from Erin Williams.
         On Saturday, October 10th, the girls participated in the Steve Lewis Memorial Festival. Unfortunately, the girls fell with a four set game to Villa Park High School.
         “We had rough run at the Steve Lewis Volleyball Festival,” said  McGrath.
         Losing the first set 25-20, the Jackrabbits rallied back, winning the second set 25-21. Even with 14 kills from outside hitter Tati Yandall, and 9 kills from Sammie Ah-Hong, the Jackrabbits couldn’t hold Villa Park. Poly lost the last two sets, 25-20 and 25-15, respectively. While Poly is out of league contention, they are looking forward to the postseason.
          “Hopefully we’re getting each other ready for a good run in CIF,” said McGrath.
         The girls will play at Millikan tomorrow, Thursday 22, followed by Cabrillo on the 27.
  • Water Polo Needs a Breather

    Water Polo Needs a Breather

    After losing two tough games to Wilson and St. John Bosco, our underwater Jackrabbits were able to break through with a victory over Long Beach Jordan. On the Thursday October 9, the boys hosted the Wilson Bruins in their first Moore League game. Despite losing 16-5, goalie Andrew Moskovitz played a great game with ten saves and a full length goal at the buzzer. Next up our Jackrabbits played St. John Bosco on October 14 and sadly lost to the Braves in an 18-6 upset. Upon a two game losing streak the Jackrabbits ambitiously in search for a win, were able to snap the streak with a 14-2 victory over Jordan. The boys will visit Millikan tomorrow, Thursday 22, and then go onto participate in the Canyon Tournament at Valenica High School this weekend.

  • Under Par but Under-appreciated

    Under Par but Under-appreciated

         Sports such as football and basketball attract thousands of fans, and play under intense pressure. Others require great physical strength, like wrestling and weightlifting. Though golfers do not need great strength or physical endurance,they require consistency and mental toughness. A consistent swing combines distance and accuracy For developing players, such as Poly’s team, finding the regularity from match to match is critical. Often times, players will have a great round of golf in one game, and flop in the next.As legendary golfer Arnold Palmer said, “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and
    maddening.” So while golf does not have the adrenaline-pumping action of other sports, it is still a sport of focus, and should not be underestimated as not demanding or easy.

  • Racquets Set Records

         Girls tennis is half way through season, and have proved themselves as the strongest team in Moore League. The lady jackrabbits are undefeated now, 7-0, having beaten Wilson for the first time in over ten years on Tuesday, October 7.
         It was a steady start for the girls, finishing the first round tied with the Bruins, 3-3. It looked pretty bright for the jackrabbits, not only because of the 90 degree weather. As they advanced into the second round, the girls were able to put two more won sets onto the scoreboard, leading 7-5 at the end of the round. Going into the third round, the jackrabbits only needed 3 more matches for the win.
         “We haven’t beaten them in all the four years I have been here,” said Senior captain  Shannon Dow. “It’s something that we all wanted.”
         Both teams took the courts third round with determination; Wilson looking to come back and close the gap, while Poly looked for those three games for the prolonged victory. Not only were the jackrabbits able to get the win, but also proved their dominancy in league by beating  the Bruins with a score of 12-6.

         Dow swept all her singles matches finishing the game with a perfect 3-0 slate. Among those victories was the defeat of the  previous Moore League singles champion Olivia Mendoza. Doubles team of Melanie Keo and Veronica Ta, and Megan Guitterri and Ariana Crockett also added four matches to the 12 by winning two matches each.
         On September 29 the girls h o s t e d y e t a n o t h e r t o u g h opponent, the Millikan Rams. Looking for redemption from last year’s loss that cost them the running for the Moore League title, the jackrabbits went into the game head on looking for the win over the Rams. Millikan would not go down without a fight, but the jackrabbits were able to stay a bit more focused,  winning with a tight score of 10-8.
         Adding to their 7-0 winning s t r e a k w e r e t w o 1 8 – 0 s h u t out games, against Compton o n S e p t e m b e r a n d t h e n Compton on September the 25.
         “We still have to play these teams once more, and they’ll be away games,’ said head coach R i c a r d o M o n t i c e n i o s . “ We have to make sure keep this up for the rest of the season.”