Veterans Memorial Stadium was home to the city’s longest-running football rivalry between Long Beach Poly and Wilson, and their final game at the stadium before its reconstruction was every bit worthy of The Big Game. Just as they did in the teams’ first-ever matchup at the stadium in 1950, the Bruins defeated Long Beach Poly on October 17, 2025, pulling out a 22-21 thriller for their first victory over the Jackrabbits since 1991.
As great a game as it was, it could just as easily be considered the comeback of the year. The Bruins trailed 21-6 midway through the third quarter before Kyle Harris returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Wilson converted the ensuing two-point attempt to trim the deficit to 21-14 and seize the momentum.
The Bruins took over after the incompletion with 5:57 remaining, trailing by seven from their own 21-yard line. Wilson pieced together a methodical drive behind big runs from Jemel Grigsby and Kori Scott before Grigsby punched it in on third-and-goal to cut the deficit to 22-21. With just over a minute remaining, first-year coach Raudric Curtis faced the biggest decision of the night.
The game ultimately hinged on his decision to go for two, a call that proved to be the game-winner. Quarterback Mack Cooper found Brooklyn Vega in the end zone to give the Bruins a 22-21 lead, setting off a jubilant celebration on Wilson’s sideline that included members of the 1991 and 1967 teams—the last two Bruins squads to defeat Poly.
Long Beach Poly took over at the Wilson 42-yard line with under a minute remaining, but after letting 35 seconds tick off the clock, disaster struck. On the next play, two-way standout Zackariah Salcedo jarred the ball loose from the quarterback, and John Chapman pounced on the fumble to ignite the real celebration for the Bruins, who took a knee to seal their first victory over Poly in 33 years.
The win propelled Wilson into the final week of the regular season, where the Bruins capped off an undefeated 6-0 Moore League campaign with an impressive 23-0 victory over Lakewood to claim the league title. With Poly and Millikan winning the previous two championships, 2025 marked the first time in 50 years that three different schools won the Moore League title in three consecutive seasons.
