Tag: LB Poly

  • Girls Soccer Looks Ahead After Loss To Mustangs

    On February 27, 2019, the Poly Girl’s Varsity Soccer Team played the Mira Costa Mustangs away and lost 4-2. Despite starting off with a convincing 1-0 lead in the first half, the Jackrabbits were unable to maintain their lead and allowed the opposition to score twice.
    Senior Allanah Cutler defended well, preventing the Mustangs from scoring a third goal. Fellow senior forward Ella Hiveley said that Cutler “was on fire, you could tell that her heart was in it.” Cutler stopped the potential goal with her head.
    She was not alone in her strong performance. Freshman Olivia D’Anna scored the final goal of the game in an attempt to bring back the game to a tie. With only two minutes left in the game, however, there was no time to tie it up.
    The Mustangs were a strong team, beating out an ambitious team looking to climb the ladder in California soccer. They pulled ahead at the 63rd minute despite a fiery effort by Poly. Forward Brittney Watkins said that they had become “too comfortable” during the first half and let the game slide out of control.
    The Jackrabbits have several strong underclassmen players that could potentially create a leading team years down the line. Even though Poly was unable to win, they’ve succeeded built a progressively better team each year.

  • Things The Trackrabbits Did: That!

    At the Annual Trackrabbit Track Meet on Saturday, February 23rd, Poly hosted a huge track meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Long Beach City College.
    Poly’s annual Trackrabbit invitational brought out about 15-20 high schools from LA County to kick off the Track season. Schools such as Redondo Union and Citrus Valley came out to participate in this event.
    The head of girls athletics, and head of track and field, Ms.Irving, gathered many volunteers to help make this track meet possible. The long distance, short distance, and fields really showed out throughout the meet.
    According to Ab Tudayan, the long distance team, Long Distance Track Take Dubs at this annual event.
    Long Distance Track (LDT) is composed to several people from the tree of running. Majority of runners come from cross country season with a few runners from mid-distance track joining the party.
    Three events took place at the Track Rabbit Invitational which are the 4x1600m relays (1 mile), 4x800m relays (2 laps), and Distance medley relay races (DMR). Distance Medley Races are each runner in the relay run different distances, in order it is the 1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m.
    With dominating track runners from Wilson, Redondo Union, Milikan, Lakewood, Warren, and Citrus Valley High School, how did previous Poly boys and girls cross country runners fair in their new environment?
    Starting off with the 4x1600m relays, Poly LDT varsity dominated in both girls and boys varsity taking first place in that category.The girls came in striking with there varsity 4×1600 with runners Sydney Carlson, Olivia Boyce, Laura Yontz, and Ailene Rios. They finished with an overall time of 23:40:68, an average of a 6:15 1600 meter run per runner.
    The boys too replicated the girls success with runners Alex Matos, Danny Bautista, Aldo Kiev, and William Frankenfeld taking first in 4×1600 relays. The boys ran in a total time of 18:30:50 with an average of a 4:57 1600m. Boys dominated the field by gapping the following team Warren High School by 20 seconds. Both boys and girls runners received an blue Nike backpack for their performances.
    Aldo Kiev one of the 4×1600 varsity boys runners voiced that it was, “an exhilarating start,” to the season and that, “(the invitational) reminded what runners across all levels should expect in future races.”
    Ailene Rios the varsity 4x1600m runners states it was a, “phenomenal start,” to the season and is, “up and ready,” for the future races and events this semester. A good attitude to begin the new LDT season.
    Although Poly’s LDT did not place 3rd or higher in any other events through all levels, it is a mere rough start to the season and expect them to be striking back March 1st at the Griffin Relay races.
    As for the short distance, the varsity the star relay teams on both girls and boys won their sprint medley event. For the boys, :Kenyon Reed (senior), Anthony Johnson (junior), and Kejuan and Keon Markham (seniors), ran a 1:31:00. Their competitors had no chance against this dream team. The twins, Keon and Kejuan, remarked, “Hard work beats talent,” as they encourage the lower division athletes and future track runners.
    As far as varsity sprints team for girls, they won first place in their 4 x 200m relay and placed second, losing to the Wilson Bruins, in the sprint medley. This team consisted of Saundria Martin (senior), Zanae Wood (freshman), Qween Okoh (senior), and Kenya Payne (senior).
    The girls took another victory on varsity in the 4 x 400m with Saminah Haddad, Kenya Payne, Kennedy Butler, and Saundria Martin. Kenya Payne quotes, “hard work pays off and that’s all we do,” after the meet.

  • Girls Swim Anticipating A strong Season

    Girls swim has started its season and just had its first meet on February 21. Our varsity team won 132 to 31.
    The team qualified for CIF for their Medley Relay and the 4 By 50. Their big meet will be on April 10 against Wilson “everything depends on Wilson” said coach Kalani Caldwell.
    Swimmers that are expected to stand out this season are Josie Liebzeit and Kate Cassiano. Liebzeit is a junior this year and has already qualified in CIF for the 200 Free and 100 Back.
    Cassiano is a sophomore who qualifies in CIF for the 100 Breast Strike. Both have said that they’re “really hoping to win Moore League and hope to become better swimmers overall.”
    The end goals for the team are to “become Moore League champions and to make individuals qualified for CIF and state team “ said Caldwell. They’ve already gotten players qualified for CIF so next up the state team. Here’s wishing good luck to all of them.

  • Miles Hines

    Senior basketball player Miles Hines has been playing basketball practically his whole life, encouraged by his family, but eventually growing his own love for the sport that continues to this day. “I’ve been playing for about 12 years.” said Hines

    Miles is family encourages his athletic ability and he will likely continue to play after graduation, although he is unsure of where he will be this fall. “I don’t know where I’ll go, but I’ll probably still play.”

    Hines has put a lot of hard work into basketball and loves many aspects of the sport “ I really enjoy playing and working with my teammates. Practice can be tiring. That would be my least favorite.”

    No matter where he ends up in life, Miles can always count on his love of basketball to be there with him, “ I’ve been doing this for most of my life.”

    He thanks his family, who have been his strength throughout his life both on and off the court. “My family really supports me. They put me on this.”

  • Timothy Gomez

    There is so much joy to be found in playing on the Poly High School football team. The tension building while waiting for the kickoff. The roar of the crowd cheering you on. The sense of accomplishment when the last quarter has ended, and knowing your team has won. The sound of the band pronouncing your victory. And Timothy Gomez has enjoyed this life for almost a decade.

    Gomez is one of the senior captains for Poly High School’s football team. He is one of their anchors for defense, coach Stephen Barbee said.

    Barbee said that Gomez is a laid-back, carefree person that cares a lot for both his family and his friends. He is very involved in his religion as well.

    Barbee has also said that Gomez is in one of his classes as a teacher’s assistant. Gomez has high character and efficiently helps out the students in the class. He is a high-achieving student, and with a 3.5 GPA, his hard work has put him in an excellent position, Barbee said.

    Gomez first started playing football when he was nine years old. His father was a big inspiration for him, as he used to play, as well.

    One of Gomez’s teammates, Mase Suaava, calls Gomez a leader and a great player on the team that other players look up to because of his disciplined playing style. Gomez is goofy, knows how to have fun and make people laugh, while also being hard-working and dedicated, Suaava said.

    While he thinks he is a good player, Gomez considers all of his teammates to be equally as valuable. “You know… in football, there’s 11 people on the field, so everybody has to do their job,” he said. “So if one person isn’t…holding up their part of the deal, it can go wrong for everybody.”

    Besides sports, Gomez is a part of a Christian club at Poly High School called Cru Club where he participates in Bible studies. He also enjoys working out, going to see movies, and hanging out with his friends.

    Gomez has talked to a few schools about playing football in college, but he is not yet sure where he will end up. He hopes he will know within the next few weeks, and if not, he plans to attend a junior college in the area. He is considering studying either law or business.

    With a new team and new coaches, Gomez said that while this past season didn’t turn out how they would have liked it to, it did go well. “It was good that we, well, just came together and… made it work.”

  • Kira Ybarra

    Kira Ybarra is a student-athlete at Long Beach Poly High School. She is the goalie on the girl’s varsity soccer team. She shows great potential and is seen as a strong leader of the team.

    Ybarra has been playing soccer since she was five years old. Her parents were both athletes in their day so it was an easy decision for them to make to have Ybarra play a sport. She then grew to love and appreciate the sport of soccer. Ybarra began playing for club at the age of seven. They “threw [her] in the goal” and she hated it because she got scored on fourteen times in her first game.

    With proper training, she eventually became good at it and loved it. Now Ybarra currently plays for SoCal Blues ECNL club team, in addition to Poly’s team. Ybarra is able to juggle school work and training, but does not have much free time to herself. When she does find time, she enjoys writing “fictional stories about previous dreams [she’s] had before.”

    Ybarra has made an impact on her teammates and coach this school year. Her coach describes her as a “block wall” for the team and that she is very encouraging to her teammates. She always gives one hundred percent and has a great work ethic. Kelsey Adams is a teammate of Ybarra’s on the Poly team. Adams has been playing soccer with Ybarra for a long time and claims that Ybarra works really well with everyone.

    Ybarra is very “energetic, hardworking, and competitive” in her everyday life outside of practice. She acts like a leader of the team in the eyes of Adams and the other players. Ybarra’s main concern this season would be not getting hurt because after the season at school, she has her regular season with her club, so she’s trying her best to stay fit and healthy. 

  • WHERE ARE YOUR CHAMPS GOING?

    February 6, 2019 marks the day high school student-athletes can be sign to a collegiate sport with a school part of National Collegiate Athletic Association. These schools sign the best of the best among the several students competing to be the best at what sport they participate in.

    Colleges sign athletes for all sports such as basketball, football, volleyball, swim, and track & field. Poly is notorious for students being signed to notorious schools due to their and talent and this year students hope to solidify their dreams into reality these coming months.

    Starting with some of the most notorious wide receivers in the Class of 2019 would be twins Keon and Kejuan Markham. Both brothers were signed by the same recruiter, Antonio Pierce, to Arizona State University (ASU) who ranks number 63rd in national public university ranking. Keon Markham signed as a wide receiver, ranking 43rd amongst the 2019 wide receiver recruits. On the other hand, Kejuan Markham signed as a safety for this upcoming season ranking 33rd amongst the 2019 safety recruits.

    The brothers state that ASU is taking over southern california and that, “we wanna be apart of it.” Before they leave Poly, they will stay for track season partaking in the 4×100 relay to compete for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship.

    Football recruits from Poly don’t stop there, Poly’s own Alex Austin signed by Coach Greg Bruns to Oregon State as cornerback. Alex Austin had offers from Colorado State, University of Hawaii, Montana State, choosing Oregon overall.

    Austin chose to sign with Oregon State as the, “vibe of Corvallis” – a beautiful place to live in Oregon – and the “opportunities” the university offers. Austin looks forward to playing the Oregon Ducks team his freshman season stating, “No ducks allowed.”

    More athletes are pending to sign with colleges as we are still months away from the deadline which is mid-August. A total of 42 students in last year’s class of 2018 signed with colleges all over the country – the total number for the class of 2019 is yet to be seen.

    Nonetheless, Poly hopes to continue the legacy they’ve made of producing premier athletes to make their way into leagues such as the National Basketball Association, National Football League, Women’s NBA, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer.

  • Girls Basketball

    The girls varsity basketball team had a rough start as they ended their Tournament at Troy High School winning 0 games, but they came back into Moore League blowing out the Cabrillo Jaguars with a win of . Their five came into the game with low energy first quarter but, by second quarter the score was 0 to 39.

    The girls dominated their offensive plays hitting continuous threes and jumpers. Coach Buggs says, “The most improved on the team as far as the veterans who have been on the team is Menah Salaveo.” Their “five,” Menah Salaveo, successfully conquered the paint making 10 points on offense along. In the game they were consistent in always having great assists and great communication on offense.

    As far as defense, our girls were able to play man-to-man defense without having the visitors penetrate. Iyanna Lamb, especially, drove into the passing lanes and turned the ball over to the Jackrabbits. Deja Williams explained that this game “proved that no matter how rough the season may begins, we always find a way to get a comeback.”

    There has been a lot of hate for Girls Varsity because they have not had the most successful start, but there is still more to come for this season. Deja WIlliams (senior) has committed to Cal State Northridge on a D1 Scholarship.

    The next game for the girls is versus Compton at Compton High School on December 14th. Then, they will be entering a tournament in Arizona from the 18th through the 22nd in the Nike Tournament of Championships. There they will be facing teams from all around the country, playing 4 four games. During the winter break they will also be playing in the SoCal Holiday Classic right after Christmas.

     

  • Girls Soccer

    This season Long Beach Poly’s girls varsity soccer team has started off the season very well. The girls have won the first four games of Moore League competition, first beating Compton 15-0, then Lakewood 4-2, then Downey 2-1, and lastly Jordan 9-0, almost finishing off the first round of Moore League undefeated. A few players such as sisters: Allanah and Aniah Cutler have returned from not playing last year to helping the team be unstoppable this year. The team’s next game is Tuesday December 18 against Wilson High School, the game is expected to be a very challenging since both team will play with their best skills and team players. Wilson tied their last game to Mayfair High School on December 13. Junior Aniah Cutler mentioned that she is “super pumped to compete against Wilson next week and play some of the most intense soccer this season!” The Lady Jackrabbits varsity girls soccer will face off against the Bruins at 6:30 p.m at Wilson High School, December 18.

  • People’s Champ William Frankenfeld

    CIF-Southern Sectional Championships took place on November 17th. Our very own CIC senior, Will Frankenfeld took first place and third in CIF State Championships on November 24th, just seconds away from first. Will also took another victory at the Foot Locker Cross Country West Regionals, placing second.

    “I’m not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed that I finished third in state and I finished first in the Southern Section, which is the fastest section. So I should’ve got first in state, so of course I’m a little disappointed,” said Frankenfeld on his thoughts about the race.

    “I do feel a certain pressures to do well, since I have done so well in the past,” said Frankenfeld on the expectations he feels from others.

    “I plan to continue running in college, maybe for UCLA or Cal State Fullerton,” said Frankenfeld on his future aspirations on running.

    Will Frankenfeld came 14th overall in the nation, third in State, and California’s top runner.

  • Winning Streak Continues

    Winning Streak Continues

    Friday September, 28th was Poly’s football away game against Cabrillo. The game was held at Cabrillo. The score was 48-0, and yet another winning streak against Cabrillo.

    Timothy Gomez said that the game was good but could have overall been better, “I think the team could have done better.” said Gomez “The team worked really well together, though I still think that we need to work on some things.”

    Already within the first quarter at about 7:23 pm a pass was made resulting in our first touchdown of the game. The second touchdown was also a pass made into the goal, and by the end of the first quarter our score was 20-0. Starting off in the second quarter at around 7:52 pm yet another passing, resulting in a touchdown. A rushing touchdown was made at about 8:01 pm, and by the end of the second quarter the score was 41-0.

    As the game came onto it’s halftime show Guadalupe Bonilla from Colorguard said as they performed “It was okay,” and especially fun “when the Cabrillo marching unit/drill team” also did their performance. Bonilla stated that they “started talking to each other” and even took a photo together.

    Returning back into the zone and the third quarter of the game it was intense but yet no one from either team seemed to make any advances. In the final quarter the last touchdown of the game was made at approximately 9:01 pm and the game ending with the score of 48-0. In previous games, such as our Millikan game we won 46-15 and in Wilson 42-6. So far in the season it seems Poly’s football team has been racking up wins and will continue to do so, if they keep playing as good as they have so far or even better.

  • Boys Xc Moore League at El Dorado Park

    On Wednesday, September 26, cross country boys competed  in their first Moore League race against Wilson, Millikan, Cabrillo, and Lakewood.

    Three divisions raced at the El Dorado Park consisting of varsity, junior varsity, and freshman/sophomore. The race course was made up of  flat ground, with two one-and-a-half-mile loops to complete the three mile course. Starting with the varsity boys, a never before seen five man pack (consisting of Bautista, Daniel, Alexander Matos, Ronan McMahon, Zane Whittier, and Christopher Yontz) lead the way to the finish line with an average 15:48 finishing time.

    The remaining varsity runners  (Aldo Khiev and Devin Koval) tagging along with an average 16:10 finishing time. As the dust settled, varsity boys had crushed the competition, winning first place.

    Junior Varsity as well won first in their division, with the top seven runners (Ezequiel Barraza, Travis Bryson, Ethan Dwinell, Clark Boyce, Andrew Huerta, Marcello Murillo, and Adam Traut) averaging a finishing  time of 16:27.

    To end it off with a bang, freshmen/sophomore competitors cut the race close, but pulled ahead with the top seven runners (Nicholas Mejia, Nathan Jimenez, Daniel Garcia, Dominic Bakly, Adan Garcia, Jay Kumar, Pablo Lopez, Adrian Scancich) averaging a 17:40 finishing time.

    Poly’s own cross country boys team won all three divisions and are gearing up for the rest of the Moore League races as well as a number of invitationals, with the varsity traveling to Portland and Santa Barbara.