The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
Long Beach Poly plays host to Lakewood Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 7pm in a game that will have a lot of interested parties. Much is up in the air as the game approaches including: will Lakewood get their first win over Poly since 2009? And who will be Poly’s starting quarterback?
The Jackrabbits filed CIFSS paperwork for quarterback Madden Iamaleava and receiver Jace Brown last week, petitioning for immediate eligibility with a valid change of residence. The CIFSS has yet to post a decision on its website, which means there will be a lot of people hitting “refresh” on their computers throughout the day Friday.
Regardless of who’s under center, the game pits two closely-matched teams against each other. The Lakewood offensive line has proven they can run it against even good defenses, and QB Kade Casillas is a mobile playmaker with weapons on the outside.
Both teams beat their opponents in Moore League openers last week, with both games called early for health and safety concerns. Lakewood has looked like one of the best teams in the league this year, with a signature win over Carlsbad. It’s hard to gauge where Poly is, with three losses to teams among the top in the state, and a win over an overmatched Jordan team. Tonight will be a true test for a young Jackrabbit team that has huge games against Mission Viejo (SoFi Stadium) and Millikan still looming.
We’ll have live updates and full coverage of the game.
