Category: Sports

The Poly girls and boys varsity soccer teams are preparing for their upcoming 2015-2016 seasons.  Both teams have played in multiple non-league games to get ready for the soccer season to come.
The Jackrabbit’s first non-league game took place on Monday, November 30 against Huntington Beach High School, who beat Poly with two goals, one in each half.  The boys came back to their next game ready to play and beat Crespi High School 3-0, with one goal in the first half and two in the second half.
The girls soccer team has had a rocky start to their season with multiple ties and losses, winning only once. Although the lady Jackrabbits have not started their season as well as they had hoped, many of the players are still expecting an exciting season.  Their first non-conference game was on Tuesday, December 1, against Warren High who beat the Jackrabbits 4-0.  Midfielder Skylar Herrera was selected as the Player of the Game.  The girls also tied with both Downey High and Palos Verdes on December 3 and 7, both tied at (0-0).  The lady Jackrabbits also tied (1-1) with Woodbridge on Thursday, December 10, where senior forward Tavia Leachman was selected player of the game.
Their most recent non-conference tournament game was on Saturday, December 12, against South Hills High School, where Poly won with a score of (1-0), pulling out their first win.
“We are playing well and adjusting to the new formations and players.  I can tell we are going to build a strong team chemistry on and off the field.  I can’t wait to compete and do well as a team this season,” said Leachman.
“Our team this year possesses great ability and talent.  At this point, we are working things out to make sure we are successful during the season so we can secure another Moore League title.  We also hope to make it to the finals in CIF playoffs and get that ring,” said senior midfielder Madi Brown.
Both the boys and girls teams will soon move into the Moore League season.  Girls soccer has a home Moore League game versus Jordan on Tuesday, December 15, and boys soccer has an away, non-conference game against Los Alamitos High School on Wednesday, December 16.

Josh Talbott, has joined fellow Jackrabbit underclassman Camren McDonald as a potential University of California, Los Angeles commit as of November.
UCLA, a dream school for those focused on both academics and athletics, is a football powerhouse and has featured many Poly alumni on their roster, most recently including Jayon Brown and Colin Samuel.
Talbott debuted this season as a starting safety. During his successful junior year, Talbott got a handle on the field and the competition despite Poly’s very young 2015 team. Talbott stood out on the field throughout the entire season and even competed against the Millikan Rams with a broken wrist.
Talbott’s determination paid off at the close of the Jackrabbit’s bittersweet season when UCLA recruitment contacted Talbott with an offer.
In Talbott’s words, “There’s nothing like earning something you’ve been working your whole life for.”
Following his first offer, Talbott hopes that he can work towards even more offers from top-tier schools like UCLA, not only for himself, but also for his teammates and friends.  Talbott is “hungry” for more success and does not plan to stop at only UCLA.
As for next year, Talbott believes that the Jackrabbits do not need a standout player for the 2016 season, but only an “entire team that steps it up.”
As of Wednesday, December 16, Talbott has another offer from WSU.

The varsity boys basketball team opened their winter season at the 64th annual Pacific Shores tournament at Redondo Union High School starting on Monday, November 23.
The Jackrabbits lit up the floor in the first three games of the tournament, beginning with a (48-42) win against Campbell Hall, a (62-59) win against Inglewood, and a (55-48) win against Roosevelt but eventually fell short in the tournament’s championship round against the host, Redondo Union, with a  (64-49) loss.
“I think we did pretty well but we still have a lot of work to do as far as building team chemistry,” said senior guard and forward Garrison Gowens. “We just have to play to win and learn how to not play for ourselves, but as a team.”
Junior forward Zafir Williams, who lead the Jackrabbits in points, was named both Player of the Game and Most Outstanding Player for the championship game. Williams had to step up a lot to compensate for centers John Duff and Myles Johnson being out due to transfer rules and an injury. Both are expected to return in late January.
There are new leaders on the team with captains Harrison Bonner, Drew Buggs, and Reuben Williams.
“It feels really good to be named one of the captains so I’m just trying to improve everyday,” said senior point guard Reuben Williams.
“I enjoy being a leader and having my teammates look up to me. This is my third year starting on varsity, my second as captain. I have won a CIF championship and I know what it takes to win so I embrace the role of teaching the underclassmen,” said senior star guard Drew Buggs.
During Poly’s third game against Roosevelt, Buggs injured his knee leaving the Jackrabbits without one of their captains and top scorers on the court.
“Drew is a big part of us winning but we can pick it up off at the bench and come out on top,” said Gowens.
The Jackrabbits will be on the court once again this Wednesday, December 16, in the Tarkanian Classic tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This past week, the girls varsity tennis team beat Wilson to become the Moore League champions two years in a row on Friday, October 30.
The Lady Jackrabbits went undefeated in Moore League and challenged themselves mentally and physically by playing matches against Division I teams like Redondo Union and Mira Costa.
“The girls had really good year,” said senior Ariana Crockett, the undefeated doubles champion along with her partner Megan Gutierri.
Before the back to back wins this year and 2014, the team had been in a dry spell since 2004.
“Girls filter in and out of high school teams with different ranges of talent as well,” says Crockett, “but to be apart of a year where a team of girls came together wanting to achieve the same goal and actually achieving it after such a long time is really just too great.”
One of the captains, Jasmine Roberts, has been on the varsity team since her freshman year and a victory her senior year is one to remember.
Although Jasmine lost her singles championship to Wilson senior Olivia Mendoza, her and partner Sara Soderberg won in a 10-point tiebreaker to victory.
On the win, Roberts says “Of course I wanted to win the singles too but to win with Sara, she really was a major part of how amazing this season was for me. I’m glad to be able to share this win with her and experience it with her.”
“My last year wouldn’t have been the same without the girls that stuck in the program all the way into their senior year and its been a really good season. Now we have to continue and move to CIF which is also really exciting,” says Ariana Crockett.
The teams first CIF match was held November 4. Due to press restraints we were not able to cover the matches, but scores will be available next issue.

On Friday, October 30, senior Jack Jones was named a 2016 U.S. Army All-American during a lunchtime ceremony. Jones earned the All-American status by his electric performances at receiver, cornerback, and return specialist over his high school career.
This season, Jones has proven to be one of Southern California’s best receivers, providing a consistent target for the quarterbacks. His acrobatic jumps over defenders, decisive cuts, and quickness prove hard for defenders to prepare for him.
Jones was selected as one of the top 90 senior football players in the country to compete in the bowl game. Jones has met some of these players previously at football scouting events such as The Nike Opening and Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge.
Jones follows in the footsteps of past Jackrabbits who reached All-American status. These include receiver DeSean Jackson (2005), receiver John “JuJu” Smith-Schuster (2014), cornerback Iman “Biggie” Marshall (2015), and lineman Joseph “JoJo” Wicker (2015).
“I’m honored to be able to play after JuJu and Biggie, it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Jones.
Many players who played in the All-American Bowl have gone on to have successful college and professional football careers, including Andrew Luck, Odell Beckham Jr. and Adrian Peterson.
The nationally televised bowl game will take place on January 9 in San Antonio, Texas. Jones will continue his All-American season against Millikan on Friday, November 6, and will then face tough opponents in the Pac-5 playoffs.
While earning All-American honors, Jones has acquired a large list of scholarship offers to colleges, including USC, Texas A&M, and Notre Dame.

As they are more than half way done with the Sea View League competition, the Poly Surf Team hosted Los Alamitos and Corona Del Mar last Monday and Tuesday at Bolsa Chica.
The Poly Surf Team began their fifth competition in the league against Los Alamitos on Monday, October 26. With the intention of redeeming themselves with a win after losing to Los Alamitos in the previous meet held on October 13, the Poly surfers were ready for the challenge. At last Monday’s event, senior surfer, Sean Love, accumulated most of the points for Poly by placing first in the body board heat and second in the short board heat.
“It wasn’t a matter of practicing that much, but it was based on my experience of how long I’ve been surfing,” said Love, when asked on what he did differently this around in comparison to the past matches.
Also freshman Poly surfer, Marco Lepre, had only competed twice before, and placed second in the other boys short board event, adding an additional five points to the Poly side. Even with the high scores, Poly fell short 102-68.
The competition against Corona Del Mar was held the next day, Tuesday, October 27. The event was quite monumental for the Jackrabbits as they won their first competition in the Sea View League. Unlike Poly’s one year, Corona Del Mar has had at least five years of surf team experience. In fact, a couple of years ago, Corona Del Mar won the entire Sea View League. However, Poly was ready to be in the running with one of the Sea View League’s top teams.
In the first heat of the day, Sean Love placed second, while Spencer Steffen placed first in the second heat. For the girls short board in the third heat, sophomore surfer Cora Fahringer placed first while senior Eileen Sok placed first in the girls long board heat. In the boys long board heat, Poly placed first and second with the help from juniors Graeme Tanaka and Keven Miranda, adding more points to Poly’s scoreboard. At the end of the competition, Poly beat Corona Del Mar 85-76 with an upset victory.
The Poly Surf Team will continue their competitive season on Monday, November 9, against Mater Dei at Bolsa Chica.

It is the middle of October but the August heat still has yet to pass. With highs in the 100s, practice has not been much fun in the sun for some of the nation’s best athletes.

Many of the Poly coaches and staff have changed their regular routines around to accommodate the heat.

For some teams, the sun has been a blessing in disguise, getting some athletes out of strenuous practice on some days. This proved true for the Poly girls soccer team last week when Coach Collins rewarded her players with cool treats to escape the heat.

“Instead of running and conditioning, we eat Popsicles, take naps and bond as a team,” says senior varsity soccer player Madison Brown.

The basketball team is having a football scrimmage instead of the normal conditioning the players do in their morning practices but, luckily, the basketball boys get the luxury of practicing early in the morning.

“It’s a great feeling going to practice before the heat comes. I’m happy we get all of our working out done in the morning and have the rest of the day to focus on school and not think about the practice I would have had sweating in the sun,” said senior varsity basketball player Drew Buggs.

Even indoor sports teams are feeling the burn. Varsity volleyball player Maddi Olea jokes about adding an air conditioning system into the gym. “We would be able to practice longer in a more comfortable environment, I think it would be a really good investment and would make lots of us more excited and energetic for practice, especially this year,” said Olea.

Our varsity football team has already played two away games in tremendous heat, one in Arizona against the Centennial Coyotes and another in Las Vegas, Nevada against the Bishop Gorman Gaels. Playing in those cities has made the team appreciate the beautiful Long Beach weather.

“It may be hot now, but I know some other schools have it much worse than us,” said junior varsity football player Joshua Brown. “Playing in extreme weather like in Arizona and Las Vegas showed us as a team that weather can really affect your game if you let it.”

With the approach of the winter months, we will all have to wait and see if the sun gives these hardworking athletes a break this year or if they will have to endure more scorching temperatures throughout the rest of the season

The Jackrabbits’ second round of the Moore League conference continued as the girls volleyball team defeated Jordan on Thursday, October 15.  Poly also played in a non-conference match against Saint Joseph High School on Saturday, October  17,  which resulted in yet another win for the Poly girls volleyball team. However, on Tuesday, October 20, the Jackrabbits took their first loss in league play against Poly’s longest rival, the Lakewood Lancers.

The Poly volleyball team swept the Jordan Panthers in three sets, even when coach Leland McGrath put in his second string players.  The girls played their game well and had a relatively good afternoon of playing.

Although the Jackrabbits faced a non-league team Saturday, October 17, the Jackrabbits still managed to come out with a shutout 3-0 win. This game gave the girls the confidence they needed as they prepared to face Lakewood again the next week after previously beating them on Thursday, September 24.

The Lakewood Lancers have only lost once to Poly in the Moore League. They, along with the Jackrabbits, both wish to ruin  each other’s records. Poly practiced hard the Monday before the game to get ready for the rivalry game the next day.  It was a game that everyone was excited to watch and the cheering sounds bounced off all four walls of the Poly gymnasium.  The stands rumbled with an overwhelming amount of Poly fans, including Poly’s student section who came out to watch the game.

The Jackrabbits came onto the court with confidence and  fought hard against their rival.  The Lancers won the first set but the Jackrabbits fought back winning the second set of the match.  Although Lakewood won the final two sets Poly fought with intensity making numerous kills and amazing digs.  Sophomore Kalyah Williams particularly stood out along with junior Penny Tusa, both of whom turned their game on when they stepped on the court. Williams and Tusa made kill after kill, which really helped to bring up the spirit of the team even when they were losing.

With scores of 25-15, 26-28, 25-20, and 25-14, Lakewood finished out with the win to tie with Poly standings.  Although the Jackrabbits lost, they knew they played hard and put their best foot forward on the court.

Poly girls volleyball is currently on a bye week, but will be back to play their next league game  on Tuesday, October 27, against Millikan.

On Friday, October 9, the Jackrabbits returned to Vets Stadium to fight against Compton High School. Coming off of a nasty 99-9 win against Compton last year, the Jackrabbits expected nothing less than victory going into the game. Compton fought harder than last year, but Poly still left victorious with a score of 48-6. Although Compton scored towards the end of the fourth quarter, it didn’t match the 42 points that Poly won in the first half. The football team hoped this win would carry over to next week but, unfortunately, the next game against De La Salle would prove to be much more of a challenge than Compton.

The Jackrabbits endured many roadblocks on their way to Northern California to take on the nationally ranked Concord De La Salle Spartans, but none proved as difficult as the game itself on Friday night. It was a highly anticipated game and rematch of the 2001 national championship game where De La Salle upset Poly.

Poly came out fired up and senior Davir Hamilton recovered a fumble on their first defensive possession. Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits struggled to move the ball and were forced to punt after three plays. Poly managed to get another fumble recovery, but came up empty handed again. According to junior linebacker Josh Brown, Poly came out ready to play and was pleased with their defensive intensity that caused De La Salle’s fumbles.

De Le Salle got things moving on their next offensive drive when quarterback Anthony Sweeney connected with All-American tight end Devin Asiasi for their first touchdown. Poly responded as they moved the ball down the field, but the drive ended when they were unable to convert on 4th and inches. The Spartans were able to capitalize on Poly’s turnover and scored on just 4 plays to take a 14-0 lead. Poly continued to hurt themselves when the Jackrabbits were called for a holding penalty that led to a safety for De La Salle. The Spartans used that momentum to score on the next offensive series when Sweeney connected again with Asiasi. Poly ended the half on a positive note when junior Aaron Shampklin returned the kickoff for 65 yards, which snapped the Spartans record of 12 quarters without giving up a touchdown. That Jackrabbit touchdown cut the deficit to 22-6.

Despite being down by 16 points to start the 3rd quarter,  the Jackrabbits were hopeful they could get a defensive stop, but the Spartans had other plans. De La Salle scored on a seven minute and 18 play drive that squashed Poly’s hope for a comeback. With a running clock in the 4th quarter, Poly was unable to get anything going offensively and lost 52-6.

“There were some positives we can take from this game and build on for the rest of the season heading into playoffs,” junior safety said Josh Talbot.

Poly will host the Lakewood Lancers this Friday, October 23 at Vets Stadium. Be sure to come and watch the Jackrabbits fight to keep their first place position in Moore League.

The Poly Surf team began their first year in the Sea View League with two competitions last week against Millikan and Los Alamitos.

In surfing competitions there are eight heats in which six surfers all compete in individually. The heats include four short boards in the boy’s section, one short board in the girl’s section, one long board for both divisions, and a body board heat. The home team wears red, blue, and yellow rash guard jerseys, while the away team wears orange, green, and white jerseys.

For those who may not be aware of how surfing competitions are judged, surfers compete in a heat for 15 minutes. In the time span, surfers can catch as many waves as they want, but only the top two surfers are scored. The level of surf skill is scored out of ten based on the quality of wave the surfer catches, how well the surfer rides it, and how many turns they can carry out.

The Poly Surf team commenced their first event against Millikan last Monday, October 12, at Poly’s home break in Bolsa Chica in front of tower 23. The waves on Monday proved to be a complication as they reached levels that were a couple feet above the surfer’s heads. Although the Jackrabbits lost the competition to Millikan, Poly surfers were determined to showcase their talents against Los Alamitos.

The next competition against Los Alamitos took place the next day on October 13 in Sunset Beach. This event proved to be a better round for the Jackrabbits as the competitions progressed. Los Alamitos started off by winning the first heat in the boy’s short board with a 12-9 lead leaving the Jackrabbits in second, fourth, and sixth place. Los Alamitos continued to gain higher status than the Jackrabbits in each heat until heat five of one of the boy’s short board division. Poly sophomore Ryan Love, placed first place, which raised Poly’s score by six points in that heat. Senior Chad King placed third, adding an additional four points to Poly’s score. The scores helped the Jackrabbits earn their first win in a heat. Despite this victory, Los Alamitos was still able to surf their way to the top and win the competition.

Fortunately, the two losses are not putting a dent in the Jackrabbit’s determination to get an overall win in the next competition. Senior surfer Zac Cervana hopes to “pick better waves to get the best score” for the Jackrabbits’ next competition in the Sea View League.

This spring will be the first season for the Long Beach Poly girls lacrosse team. Because of the success the boys team had in the 2014-2015 season, Poly decided to host a girls team this year.

Lacrosse is actually very similar to soccer, which  is why the new lacrosse coaches decided to recruit mainly from Poly’s soccer team. The motive of the game is to score the most goals in the small net just like soccer. Players must cradle the ball in the pocket of the lacrosse stick and are allowed to use all parts of their body except their hands to touch the ball.

“Because it’s so similar to soccer, it was easy to get the hang of it and to understand it,” said sophomore Jolani Mastrangelo.

The team began practicing last spring, but did not become official until this fall. Because of the growing popularity of the sport, a lot of girls have joined the team and be a part of it all.

“I was never really interested in lacrosse before I started practicing last year. I always saw game on TV, but I never thought I would ever get to play the sport,” said senior Imani Martin.

The team has already been practicing for some time and plays pickup scrimmages on the weekends.

“Lacrosse is really fun. I like my teammates, we always cheer each other on and help each other on the field. We have a good chemistry off the field and I hope that will carry over when we start playing games,” said    Mastrangelo.

Though this is a spring sport, the team will participate in Fall Ball, where the girls will play exhibition games with schools around the area to get ready for season.

“Lacrosse is something I really enjoy. Joining the team was fun because we’re all new to the sport and we learn a lot from each other,” said senior Emaani Stells.

The team practices on Wednesdays at Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Chittick Field and is always looking for new members.

“I encourage all girls to come out and just try it. I was skeptical at first too, but I am definitely enjoying it,” said sophomore Allison Waddles.

Anyone interested in joining the girls lacrosse team may contact the coach to get information about practice times and the lax life.

The Poly boys and girls Cross Country teams won their first Moore League meet at El Dorado Park last Wednesday, September 30.

“The team was able to sweep the Moore League in all three of our Moore League races, and next race we look to do the same,” said senior Marco Montemayor.

The scorching temperatures did not stop the girls team from bringing their heat as they took the top six spots in the race. The jackrabbits Brenda Rosales led the wayby posting a time of 17:45 to claim first place. Her time beat the course record by seven seconds. Poly’s Lauren Fillipow finished second and was only one second off the course record.

“Our goal is to become closer as a team, which will hopefully lead to us running faster times.” Said senior runner Lauryn Jones. With results like these the girls  team is on track to winning their 12th consecutive Moore League title.

For the boys Cross Country team, Hugo Novoa led the jackrabbits with a first place finish with a time of 15:15. Millikan and Wilson kept the race interesting as Alex Gomes of Millikan finished 2nd and Wilson’s Christian Lubrin got 3rd. Three more jackrabbits finished in the top 10 and all runners finished in the top 15 to help Poly get the team win. The boys team is also on track to claim yet another Moore league title, making it their 9th straight title.

“Our Junior Varsity squad was able to accomplish our goal of ranking in the top 7, along with the freshman team, so they were able to earn those sweeps even in varsity didn’t get the chance to do so with a 1-7 record.” said Montemayor of the 2016 Cross Country season.

The Jackrabbits look to carry their momentum with them as they travel to Clovis  this weekend.