The562’s football coverage for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
The Long Beach Poly football team got a much-needed win over Cabrillo on Friday night, but the final score didn’t tell the story. Early on Friday, the Jackrabbits got word that transfer Kevin Alexander III had been granted immediate eligibility by the CIF Southern Section, meaning he’d be able to play after sitting out eight games when he was ruled ineligible. Buoyed by Alexander’s return, Poly played the cleanest complete game of their season, winning 72-0.
“I heard this morning that I’d be able to play, I woke up to it,” said Alexander. “I was just so happy, I was running around my house. I’m so happy to be able to come and ball with my brothers. We’ve put so much work in, it means a lot to me to be with them.”
Alexander was one of six Poly transfers the CIF-SS ruled ineligible for two years; he was granted eligibility on a hardship transfer Friday morning. The other five players (as well as eight at Millikan and one at Compton) remain ineligible. It’s created a difficult situation for the schools. Utupo said that Alexander was one of the players at Poly who’ve continued to practice with the team.
“I’m so happy for K3 that he is finally able to play,” said Utupo. “He’s a senior so he doesn’t have next year to look forward to. This is huge for him, but my heart still hurts for the other guys. Football means the world to them–for some of them, this is all they have, this is their ticket out. What I love about those guys is they come to practice every single day, they’re staying positive. They’re saying if I can’t get game film, I’ll get practice film–and being there and supporting their brothers just speaks to their character.”
Alexander, a defensive end, made a big play for Poly when he got a sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Jackrabbits. He said he couldn’t put into words what it meant for him to be back on the field.
“I don’t feel like (the CIF) understands that football means so much to us,” he said. “We’ve been playing since we were kids. Taking football away from us, that’s a big piece of our heart. We’ve all loved football for a very long time. It feels wrong to me. I don’t think the ban was necessary.”
Alexander’s presence clearly lifted Poly. The Jackrabbits ran the opening kickoff back as Kamarie Smith went untouched for 85 yards. Unlike previous weeks where holding penalties called a big touchdown back, the Jackrabbits were disciplined in their blocking. Smith ran the opening kickoff back, then Cabrillo went for it on 4th and 7 from their own 27 on the next drive. An incompletion gave it back to Poly, and saw the Jackrabbits go up 14-0 just three minutes into the game. They would lead 43-0 after one quarter, 64-0 at halftime, and add another second-half score with the clock running the whole second half.
The Poly defense held Cabrillo to 15 total yards in the game, and the Poly offense scored on all but its last possession. QB Legend Galeai was 12/14 for 205 yards, four touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Tristan Ventura ran in two scores, Steven “Buddha” Hunter ran in another, Smith scored a second touchdown through the air, and Jaden Hernandez and Jayden Coley both hauled in touchdown passes as well.
“Last week left a sour taste in our mouth, we can’t keep allowing teams to fight their way back from early deficits,” said Utupo. “We talked about finishing all four quarters tonight.”
Poly (4-5, 4-1) will finish the regular season on Thursday at 7pm hosting Compton while Cabrillo (1-8, 0-5) will face Jordan.
