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.
The top seed in the inaugural CIF-SS Division 2 flag football bracket took care of business on their home field, as the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits shut out the visiting Los Altos Conquerors, 20-0, on Tuesday evening.
The Moore League champs led with defense, collecting their eighth shutout win of the season, and got the offense going as the game went along.
Sophomore QB Kenzie Paimany had a hand in all three scores for Poly, tossing a pair of TD passes while also using her legs to set up the opening score of the game.
“It’s just really fun,” said Paimany of getting the school’s first playoff win in flag football. “It’s nerve-wracking, of course, because it’s the first ever, but it’s amazing to be out here and it’s a big accomplishment. I’m excited to see where it goes, and I hope that we can win the whole thing.”
Defense controlled the game early on as neither side scored for the first 20 minutes. Los Altos drove deep into Poly territory but couldn’t punch it in thanks to a stop by Malawna Green on 4th & Goal.
Poly was able to get a scoring drive going late in the first half as Paimany found a few different receivers close to the line of scrimmage and let them run after the catch, with senior Aaya McLyn once again proving to be her preferred target.
Just outside the goal line, Paimany scrambled away from pressure and drew in three Los Altos defenders before flipping a quick lateral to McLyn near the visitors sideline. The always alert McLyn snagged it and scooted in the final three yards to put Poly on the scoreboard, taking a 7-0 lead just before halftime.
Sophomore Neela Bagley recorded a pair of sacks in the first half to help keep the Conquerors off the board, and Poly would double its lead on the first drive of the second half.
Paimany spread the ball around beautifully to Ki’ele Ho-Ching, Brooklyn Richardson, and finally Bailey Holder for the short TD toss, giving Poly a 14-0 advantage just five minutes into the second half.
“You’ve got to go with what they give you,” Paimany said. “And my team has made a lot of good plays, they take short plays and they give me a lot of yards after that. So I’m very grateful for their footwork and their speed. But overall, I think we slacked a little in the beginning, but we made adjustments and we did good after that.”
Los Altos looked poised to hit the scoreboard on the ensuing drive as a pitch to Jazzy Simental opened her up along the Poly sideline with no one in front of her. However, Green was charging hard from her right and made a desperation flag pull inside the Poly 10-yard-line, keeping the shutout intact.
“I just had to make sure they didn’t score, because I knew if they scored, they would have been happy and cheering, and I didn’t want to hear that,” said a refreshingly honest Green of her heroic play. “I didn’t want to hear any cheers this game. So I had to make sure I grabbed that flag. I was really nervous, I wasn’t sure if I was gonna get it, but I knew I was gonna catch her for sure.”
Plays by Kween Tauala and McLyn helped turn the Conquerors aside at the doorstep, and one final score by the Jackrabbits would put the game away.
McLyn took a pass from Paimany over the middle, and knifed her way through the Los Altos defense. She heard Ho-Ching yelling to her the whole time, and made sure to wait until all eyes were on her before pitching it to her fellow captain, who took it the rest of the way for the score. Both players have been key leaders for the Poly program, and were elated to share a memorable scoring play to cap off a historic playoff win.
The Jackrabbits (18-8) will hit the road in the second round, traveling to play Redondo Union (13-2) on Saturday. The game is currently scheduled for a 5 p.m. start but game times are subject to change.
