The Long Beach Poly boys’ volleyball season came to a devastating end Thursday night at Lakewood High School. The Jackrabbits hosted the Chino Hills Huskies in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs at Lakewood High School due to the Moore League badminton finals occupying their home gym.
The visitors took the game to five sets, ultimately coming away with the win as Long Beach Poly tried to come back, 27-25, 25-18, 21-25, 16-25, 15-10.
“Team chemistry was good in the sense that the guys came together at the right time, although we could not execute it in the end,” Jackrabbit head coach Sidney Davidson said.
The Huskies were coming off a successful 15-5 season, placing 2nd in the Baseline League, and had just won 3-1 against JW North. After coming off a 3-2 win at Dana Hills, Long Beach Poly was ready to fight to advance in their own house.
The Jackrabbits started the match off slowly, putting up a fight in the first set, with starters Nicky Frank Shelton Diggs, Wyatt Sheetz, and Shahi Ifrad all putting up kills. The teams went back and forth with service errors, but Long Beach Poly was unable to finish it, leaving the Huskies up 25-27.
Poly’s sluggish start carried over into the 2nd set, as outsides Klayton Lee and Sean Spicer made it difficult for Poly to respond. Junior outside Nicky Frank and Sophomore setter Josiah Walton controlled the energy on the court as one of the few returners from last season.
“We all had our responsibilities, we all played for each other,” said captain Josiah Walton. “I’m happy I was able to be a leader on the court.”
Beginning the third set, the Jackrabbits realized what was at stake, going up 5-1 to start the frame. Poly’s energy kicked in as sophomore Josiah Hill put up 6 big kills to close out the set 25-21, leaving the Jackrabbits trailing by 1.
This momentum carried over into the 4th set, led by Dylan Bucu with 7 digs, restricting the Huskies’ dominance. Freshman Shelton Diggs helped finish the set with a 5-kill run, tying the match 2-2.
The game went to a fifth set, with a trip to the CIF quarterfinals on the line.
Chino Hills looked unstoppable in the final set, bringing energy with each kill and block. The Huskies grew a lead early on, and the Jackrabbits couldn’t seem to find the energy to mount one final push, as Chino Hills closed out the set 15-10, ending Poly’s season on their home court.
“Even though this wasn’t the result we wanted, I think a lot of benefit goes to our team and the testament of wanting to be in the program,” said Davidson. “I think our culture is going to continue to build.”
Despite the loss, the Jackrabbits delivered strong performances, with standouts across all grade levels. Josiah Walton continued to run the offense with composure, giving Poly opportunities to stay competitive deep into the match. Nicky Frank had a team high of 15 kills, followed by 12 from Josiah Hill.
“I feel like every single person on this team is a brother to me, and being this close with a team I care about so much means more than any pressures,” said senior Wyatt Sheetz.
Long Beach Poly finishes the season as Moore League runners-up, ending with a 20-14 overall record and a foundation to build on for next year.
Jordan
The Panthers are the last team standing in Long Beach after a first round sweep of Jurupa Valley on the road. The Panther will host Oakwood at Cabrillo High on Friday at 6pm looking to advance to the quarterfinals.
