At the end of every school year we look back to reminisce on the accomplishments that defined Long Beach sports over the last 12 months. This year has been extra special because of the variety of schools and sports represented on this list— which is a hallmark of our diverse city and athletic community.
No. 10 – Poly Football Beats Mission Viejo
No. 9 – Poly Adds Girls’ Flag Football
No. 8 – Lakewood Hosts CIF Championship
No. 7 – Wilson Boys’ Tennis Makes School History With CIF Title
No. 6 – Millikan Girls’ Golf Wins First Ever CIF Championship
No. 5 – Long Beach Takes All The Hardware At CIF-SS Track Finals
No. 4 – Long Beach Poly Softball/Baseball Walk-off Wins
No. 3 – Jordan Boys’ Basketball Completes Turnaround With Coach Chris Francis
Everyone knew exactly what Jordan was getting when they hired Chris Francis to revive its boys’ basketball program two years ago. Francis has been coaching locally for years with this patented high-tempo style and boisterous attitude.
That approach, and an impressive senior class of experienced guards, helped the Panthers make history in February when they beat Sage Hill 68-57 in the CIF Southern Section Division 4A championship on Saturday at Edison High School.
“It was part of what we signed up for when I took over,” Francis said through tears at the CIF championship postgame press conference. “The pandemic was rough on these kids and on the North Side. We even had some kids who ended up losing their lives who grew up with Dennis. It was tough on the community. To be able to bring this community together with such a positive moment, it’s special. It was amazing that the alumni came back out. There was even a guy out there who was Class of ’74. That’s a beautiful thing for people to still have that pride for the community and the school.”
