The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
Before this sentence is finished, I’m worried Aaya McLyn might intercept it.
The Long Beach Poly senior made Moore League history on Wednesday evening, intercepting seven passes on defense–and adding three touchdowns on offense–in the Jackrabbits’ 32-0 victory over Lakewood on Burcham Field.
McLyn dominated the game from her safety position, making sure no Lakewood pass was safe. The Washington State-bound soccer player proved she can use her hands when she’s allowed, putting together one of the most impressive all-around performances you’ll ever see.
“She’s one of the best athletes I’ve seen around Poly, hands down,” said head coach Rob Shock, who has seen his fair share of great athletes at his alma mater. “She’s a great young lady and what she did is just … it’s amazing. I’m so glad to have her on our side, she’s my eraser. We make a mistake on offense, she comes back and she gets us a pick and puts us back in position.”
Former Poly teammate Elle Dennison had a 4-INT game last season for the Jackrabbits, which McLyn was able to achieve in the first half on Wednesday. She then picked off three more after halftime, including on the final play of the game to punctuate her record-setting performance.
“So much fun,” said McLyn after playing her best game ever. “And I owe that to my team, it’s not just me. I owe that to the opponent too, because we won’t have fun if we don’t have good competition, right? So I thank Lakewood for putting everything on the field, and I thank my teammates as well.”
McLyn led another impressive performance for the Poly defense, which has yet to allow a point this season during Moore League play. The Jackrabbits actually had nine interceptions in total, with Nefertiera Williams and freshman Maia Stefan also joining in on the fun.
Whenever the Poly defense pitches a shutout, it’s tradition that the team gets donuts as a reward. That seems to be an effective form of motivation, and Shock might soon be on a first-name basis with the neighborhood donut spot.
“I mean, if that’s what motivates them, then I want to continue that,” said Shock with a big grin. “My big thing I always say is that defense wins championships … We’ve got that ball-hawking safety back there, and I’m just glad I have her on our side and I don’t have to game plan against her. And then having Kiele Ho-Ching, the girls respond to her. She’s a great leader and just a hell of a player.”
Ho-Ching got the scoring started for the Jackrabbits, hauling in a TD pass from sophomore QB Kenzie Paimany to make it 7-0 Poly. The score remained there for much of the first half as Lakewood had a pair of goal line stops, one which included an interception by sophomore Olivia Moreno.
After McLyn’s third interception, she took a pitch and was looking to throw it before deciding to tuck it and run up the home sideline. She was able to race in for an 18-yard TD scamper, making it 13-0 Jackrabbits. After another INT, she went in at quarterback for Poly and connected with Makayla Quesada to give Poly a 19-0 halftime edge.
Poly added two more scores in the second half to increase their winning margin, with Paimany hitting freshman Bailey Holder for a TD, then McLyn threw her second touchdown pass of the day to senior Kween Tauala.
Lakewood’s offense was led by Dionna Bradley and Devoni Ray, but the Lancers struggled to get their vertical passing game going thanks to McLyn’s persistent patrolling of the secondary.
The win keeps Poly unbeaten in Moore League action, and sets up an exciting non-league matchup next week. The Jackrabbits will make a short trip to Lakewood to take on St. Joseph on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in what Shock is calling a “measuring stick game” for his team. The Jesters are currently 7-0 and ranked the No. 5 team in the nation according to MaxPreps.
“I am looking forward to that because we’ve never played St. Joseph,” said McLyn of the upcoming showdown. “We’ve only seen clips on Instagram and stuff and they have all this hype, and I know we’re ready to just go out there and show what we’re made of. Because I feel like they might doubt us, you know, but we’re Long Beach Poly.”
Lakewood’s next game is also against St. Joseph, as the crosstown rivals square off on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Both teams return to Moore League play next Monday when Lakewood hosts Millikan and Poly visits Cabrillo.
