The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
Back in 1950 when Veterans Memorial Stadium opened its gates to Long Beach football fans for the first time, there was only one game that could have christened it: The Big Game. Wilson broke the champagne bottle on the freshly-poured concrete cathedral 55 years ago with a 13-12 win over their rival, Long Beach Poly. Friday night in one of the final couple games to be played at historic Vets Stadium, the Bruins partied like it was 1991 (or 1950) as they took down the Jackrabbits in a 22-21 thriller.
The game hinged on a gutsy call by Wilson coach Raudric Curtis, who elected to make history by going for two with a minute left in the game after a touchdown brought his team within a point. Quarterback Mack Cooper found Brooklyn Vega in the end zone to put the Bruins up 22-21, setting off an electric celebration on Wilson’s sideline (including alums of the 1991 and 1967 Wilson teams, the last two Bruins squads to beat Poly).
Curtis said his belief in his team led him to make the call–and that he was confident they’d get it.
“The plan was that if we needed two, that was the play,” said Curtis. “We planned that six months ago–we’ve been saving that play…they believed in it. We called it.”
The move didn’t come as a surprise to any of Curtis’ players, especially his star quarterback, Prairie View A&M commit Mack Cooper.
“I know coach Curtis and he’s always down to go for the win, and I am too,” he said. “I knew from the very beginning and I had a feeling that was going to be the call. There’s a read to it–I start with the flat and then I come to BK, he was wide open so I knew we had it.”
It’s difficult to put into words the jubilation that flowed forth among the Bruins fans and team in attendance. Alums of the last two teams to beat Poly celebrated with this year’s team, which was as respectful of their opponent in the aftermath of an emotional win as they were jubilant.
“It just feels amazing,” said Cooper. “It feels like a roller coaster. I mean, just like a shock of adrenaline, and it feels so good to be on top now. We got a target on our back, but we’re ready to protect it.”
The game certainly started out looking like it might be a long night for the Bruins. Poly marched right down the field on the first drive of the night as Elijah Dawson had some long runs, and QB Legend Galeai hit Kymere Smith and Zion Anderson to get into the red zone before Dawson scored a touchdown. Poly went 60 yards in 3:30 to take the 7-0 lead.
But Wilson came right back at them, as Cooper hit Thomas Jones for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the Bruins’ ensuing drive. After a Poly offsides penalty on the extra point moved Wilson right to the goal line, Curtis elected to go for two–and didn’t get it, leaving Poly up 7-6. Both teams stayed muddled in the middle of the field for the rest of the quarter, with Poly reaching the Wilson 30 before Galeai fumbled a snap and Wilson’s Jagger Kohagura recovered it.
The Jackrabbits expanded their lead midway through the second quarter on an all-run drive that saw Steven Hunter sprint 57 yards on a big gain, then Dawson punch it in to put Poly up 14-6. The Bruins turned it over on the ensuing drive as Poly’s Toa Cagnolatti picked off Cooper. The Jackrabbits had the ball at midfield with 1:52 left, but in a mismanaged two-minute drill ran just two plays before taking a timeout with 35 seconds left in the half, after gaining only nine yards. Galeai had three incompletions and then on fourth down was intercepted by Keian Rogers to end the half.
The Bruins opened the second half with a risky decision that did not pay off, as they went for a fake punt on their own 28 yard line–it came up short, giving Poly the ball in scoring position. They took advantage quickly, with Hunter sprinting in for a nine-yard score that put Poly up 21-6.
That would have been an easy time for Wilson to let up–but the Bruins didn’t. Instead they immediately answered, as Kyle Harris took the ensuing kickoff back to the house to cut the lead to 21-14 after the Bruins also converted on the two-point conversion.
The Jackrabbits’ offense would touch the ball three more times in the game–reaching the Wilson 34, the Wilson 21, and the Wilson 40, and failing to score a point on any of those drives. The first ended on an incompletion as Galeai missed a wide open Hernandez for what would have been a walk-in touchdown, the second also ended on an incompletion as Galeai couldn’t connect with Tae Wright.
The Bruins took over after that incompletion with 5:57 remaining in the game, down by seven on their own 21 yard line. The Jackrabbits had outgained Wilson three to one at that point in the game, but with the one-score difference that didn’t mean anything–the Bruins just needed one drive: and they got it.
First, sophomore star Jemel Grigsby broke off a 34 yard run, followed up by a 24 yard sprint by Kori Scott. The Bruins paused at the Poly 20 and faced third and long, but Cooper found Jones for a 13 yard gain to make it first and goal. At that point, Scott ran it twice and was stuffed at the one, setting up a third and goal with a little more than a minute remaining.
It was another great call as the ball went to Grigsby, who bulled his way across the goal line to make it 22-21 Poly, with a huge decision looming for Curtis. Except that it wasn’t a decision for him–he knew he wanted two. The call was for a spacing play where the Bruins receivers hunted soft spots in Poly’s defense. The Bruins had to extend those routes after an illegal substitution penalty pushed them back to the seven–but they pulled it off as Vega slipped into an open part of the end zone and hauled in the money pass from Cooper.
The Wilson side of the stands erupted as they took a 22-21 lead, but there was still 1:04 left on the clock.
Hunter had a long return for Poly that set them up on the Wilson 42. The Jackrabbits ran one play, a run by Dawson, and allowed 35 seconds to run off the clock before taking a timeout. Out of the timeout, they were looking downfield for a big completion, but didn’t get a chance thanks to two Wilson playmakers. Two-way stud lineman Zackariah Salcedo knocked the ball out of Galeai’s hands, and big John Chapman fell on it to set off the real celebration for the Bruins, who went into victory formation and kneeled it out.
Salcedo said he had a unique way of motivating himself before the forced fumble, which will take its place among other legendary moments between Wilson and Poly over the last nearly century.
“I told myself if I don’t make a play, I’m just not gonna play football no more,” he said. “I put my whole life on the line, I had to do it. I hit a spin move and I hit it out of his hands.”
The good news for Salcedo is he made the play and gets to continue playing football–now for a first-place Wilson team with no company on either side of them. The Bruins will face Jordan next week trying to stay undefeated in the Moore League while Poly will face Cabrillo as they look to bounce back.
