The562’s coverage of girls’ flag football is sponsored by the Los Angeles Chargers.
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.
In the second round of Moore League play, defending champion Long Beach Poly has been getting their opponents’ best shot. As the league improves around them, their flag football dominance has been questioned, but the Jackrabbits once again proved to be the top dogs with a 26-14 victory over the Lancers on Monday afternoon.
The win ensures a second consecutive league title for the Jackrabbits, who will hope to clinch an outright title and then unbeaten league season next week.
“We’re continuously working, trying to be better. The girls are hungry, they want that championship,” said Poly head coach Rob Shock after the win. “They’ve got a great group of girls over there at Lakewood, some talented young ladies that can play. I think that they definitely can make some noise in the playoffs too. Coach Lei does a great job with the girls. There’s some things we gotta work on, but we’re very blessed to come out with the win.”
The Jackrabbits got another stellar performance from senior Aaya McLyn, who looks like a sure-fire pick as the Moore League’s Player of the Year. McLyn opened the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown grab on a pass from Kenzie Paimany, added a successful two-point conversion later in the first half, then capped the scoring with her second TD grab of the afternoon.
That was just her offensive stat line, but she was also a standout defensively from her safety position. McLyn had a total of three interceptions to lead the way for the Poly defense, collecting a pair of picks in the second half to protect Poly’s lead. In two meetings against Lakewood this season, McLyn has 10 total interceptions–a truly absurd number for the humble superstar.
“I don’t really like to brag, I really don’t. I hate those people who are like that with a big ego, but I feel like it’s pretty cool,” said McLyn of the numbers she’s putting up. “It’s definitely a huge accomplishment for me, especially since this game is still kind of new to me. Yeah I’ve played longer than most, but it’s still new to me since I’ve only played for a couple of seasons.. So in that aspect, I’m pretty stoked that I’m able to pull that out.”
But Lakewood made Poly earn it throughout the day, led by senior Nyemah King. Her 40+ yard touchdown grab in the first half was a terrific fingertip catch on a pass from Kennedy Martz who released it under pressure, giving the Lancers an 8-6 lead following their two-point conversion.
King also started the second half with a flurry, recording an interception on the first play defensively. Then with the Lancers on offense, King hauled in her second TD of the day, this time from Dionna Bradley, cutting Poly’s halftime lead down to 20-14.
“I just went out there and played my best,” said King of her performance, while getting the opportunity to match up against McLyn throughout the day. “She’s a great player. It was fun playing against her. We were just chopping it up on the field, but I feel like she’s a really good player to play against to get yourself better.”
The Lancers also got a strong performance from senior Devoni Ray, who had an interception and multiple catches on offense.
Poly’s defense had six interceptions, led by McLyn’s three, a pair of Kiele Ho-Ching, and one for senior Alex Valente. Paimany tossed all four touchdowns for the Jackrabbit offense, connecting with McLyn twice while also throwing scores to Brooklyn Richardson and Makayla Quesada.
Looking ahead, Lakewood is playing at Millikan on Wednesday and closes the season at Compton next week. The Moore League will have four teams earn automatic berths into the CIF-SS playoffs, and the Lancers will look to ensure their spot among that group.
Meanwhile, Poly is hoping to finish off a second consecutive unbeaten league season, with a game against Cabrillo on Wednesday and against Jordan next Tuesday. Shock said he’s impressed with how much the Moore League’s teams have improved in year two, and gave his support for Cabrillo head coach Earl McCullough as the league’s coach of the year in helping the Jags contend for a playoff spot in 2024.
“Coaching has a lot to do with it. A lot of coaches are putting a lot of time into it, and really preparing the girls,” Shock said. “And the athletes in our league. You see more and more of our athletes participating and playing, and that’s the great thing about it. I think our league is competitive and we’re getting better and better.”
The CIF-SS playoff brackets for all five divisions will be released on Oct. 19 with the first round of the playoffs scheduled for Oct. 22.
