After navigating a lifetime’s worth of troubled waters, the Long Beach high school football season is ready to set sail in 2021.
It’s been two years since the Fall approached with any sense of a normal schedule, and local players, coaches, and fans couldn’t be more excited for the prospect of Friday night lights in August, September, and October.
The COVID-19 pandemic almost completely eliminated last year’s season, with an abbreviated schedule being eked out in the Spring, with just a handful of games and no playoffs. Marquee and historic games like the annual Long Beach Poly/Wilson tilt were canceled over COVID concerns, and every week brought a wave of uncertainty over which games would be played and which would be called off.
This year, everyone is hoping, will be a little bit more like normal. For one thing, the schedule is on track–football will start the week of August 20, see 11 weeks in the regular season, and a full playoffs. While there are still likely to be games affected by COVID-19 protocols, everyone is expecting things to look a lot more normal than they did last year.
“Normalcy” isn’t the only good news in the forecast for the upcoming year though. With established and respected coaches at every program in the city, there’s more stability and talent back in Long Beach than there’s been in a decade, with an ascendant Long Beach Poly program leading the way and a wide open playoff race in the Moore League.
With high hopes and a strong ocean breeze, good times are on the horizon.
Click here for our Long Beach Poly preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for our Millikan preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for our Wilson preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for our Lakewood preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for our St. Anthony preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for our Compton preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for our Jordan preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for our Cabrillo preview / VIDEO preview
Click here for the full schedule
