Long Beach brought home plenty of gold in the 2024-25 school year, but the six teams that made it to the CIF-SS title game are deserving of recognition as well.
Starting in the fall, a pair of football teams got the chance to play for a CIF-SS title on the same night, with St. Anthony hosting Silverado at Clark Field in the Division 10 final, and Wilson making the trip to Highland in Division 9.
The Saints were able to take a 7-0 lead in their championship game, but the Silverado offense proved to be too powerful in a 30-14 victory. It was an impressive turnaround and playoff run for St. Anthony under first-year head coach Jeff Magdaleno, as they shrugged off a rocky start to the season and earned some hardware for the trophy case.
Wilson made program history with their first CIF title game appearance in football, coming up just short in a heartbreaking 15-14 defeat against the Bulldogs.
“I’m super proud of these guys, they made a little bit of history. Obviously we wanted to finish it off and we thought we had it but it was a tough night,” said Clark. “But I’m so proud of these kids, especially the seniors. They’ve never been to the playoffs and for them to take the ride all the way to the end was awesome.”
After a thrilling Moore League title win in girls’ soccer, Long Beach Poly made a run to the Division 3 finals, where they fell to Foothill by a 1-0 margin. The Jackrabbits were able to generate some quality chances, particularly in the second half, but couldn’t crack the scoresheet as they brought home the silver plaque.
Spring brought a number of CIF title game appearances for Long Beach, most notably in beach volleyball, where Wilson and Millikan met for the Divison 2 title at LBCC. It was the first time since 2008 that two Moore League teams were playing for a CIF championship, and Millikan came up just short in a great battle with the Bruins to finish runner-up.
In the Division 2 boys’ tennis finals, the Wilson Bruins dropped a narrow 10-8 decision against Flintridge Prep. Wilson was looking for its second boys’ tennis title in the past three years, but the banged up Bruins ran out of gas in the title match.
Finally, the St. Anthony baseball team played for a CIF title on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field, where they dropped a 2-0 decision against Elsinore for the Division 5 crown. The Saints had an exciting playoff run to reach the program’s third CIF final, but ran into a pitching buzzsaw against the Tigers.
As a bonus–though they were not competing a bracket sport–the Long Beach Poly girls’ track team earned a silver plaque this season, adding to one of the most crowded trophy collections in the nation.
