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.
Long Beach Poly (0-1) will try to bounce back from a tough season-opening loss tonight as they host San Diego powerhouse Lincoln at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 7pm.
The Jackrabbits had a tall order last week with Folsom, the No. 7 team in California according to CalPreps’ rankings–but it doesn’t get much easier hosting Lincoln, who’s ranked No. 18. Poly is No. 25 but a young group of Jackrabbits had a hard time stemming the tide when Folsom got rolling last week.
Poly coach Stephen Barbee said his team has managed the frustration pretty well, something Poly hasn’t had a lot of experience with the last two years as they only lost one non league game.
“I mean, the message has been consistent throughout,” he said. “We had quite a few kids get their first varsity starts and we played a top 10 team in the state. We have a lot to improve on, 100%. We talked about that as a staff and the players have been working hard.”
The key for the Jackrabbits against Lincoln is better and more consistent line play, as well as being able to extend drives. The bright spot for Poly in a lopsided loss last week was their skill players, with Kamarie Smith scoring a pair of touchdowns and Julius “JuJu” Johnson making plays as well.
The Hornets’ quarterback, Akili Smith Jr., is committed to Oregon and their top receiver, Ty Olsen, has offers from several Division 1 universities.
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