The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics and high school football for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The Long Beach Poly football team’s frustration this season has been less about the results and more about just how close the Jackrabbits have been to putting it all together. Friday night’s debut at Poly’s temporary home at Cabrillo High School brought those same frustrations, as the Jackrabbits couldn’t complete the comeback in a 17-14 loss to Carson.
Poly found itself down early after giving up touchdowns on both its opening defensive and offensive possessions, but otherwise arguably outplayed Carson for the remainder of the game. The Jackrabbits’ defense allowed just three points the rest of the way, while Poly missed a pair of field goals in the second half, including the potential game-tying kick with a minute left to play.
“These guys just need to stay locked in, man,” said Poly coach Travon Patterson after the game. “They understand that we’re right there every game, and we just need to get over that bump. We just have to stay locked in as a team and come together as a collective to find our mistakes and correct them.”
Carson was able to establish its run game led by dual-threat quarterback and Georgetown commit Chris Fields III, who finished with 157 rushing yards on a whopping 21 carries. The Colts ran the ball on 35 of their 43 offensive plays and finished with 200 total rushing yards compared to just 70 passing yards.
Fields III and running back Tytus Salagi each had five carries on Carson’s opening drive, with the pair combining for all 10 plays on the five-minute possession. Fields III had 49 rushing yards alone on the drive and capped it with a six-yard touchdown run to take an early 7-0 lead.
The Colts were able to carry that momentum over on defense, as senior linebacker Preston Leomiti forced a fumble on a strip sack on Poly’s opening possession before scooping up the ball and scoring to give Carson a two-touchdown lead in just the first quarter.
“We had some mistakes and they capitalized on them,” Patterson said. “It hurt us and it hurt us early. We bounced back and fought back, but we just ran out of time.”
The Jackrabbits bounced back two drives later after forcing a Carson punt that set them up in Colts territory. It took Poly just four plays from the Carson 39-yard line, as the Jackrabbits ran the ball with Jeron Johnson II and quarterback Ace Seve before Seve capped the drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Coley, cutting the lead in half at the start of the second quarter.
Poly’s defense was solid after giving up the opening touchdown, and had a pair of turnovers to help give the Jackrabbit offense an opportunity to score. Junior Kasim Shepherd came up with an interception before half, while Zion Anderson came up with a fumble recovery on Carson’s opening drive of the second half.
On the other end, Poly’s opening drive of the second half reached the Carson 26-yard line before a sack from AJ Umoh stalled the drive, and the Jackrabbits came up empty-handed on a field goal try to cut the lead.
Carson’s defense also stepped up in key moments of the second half, including an interception from Deshawn White that set the Colts up for another scoring opportunity. Carson then went on a 10-play drive that stalled at the Poly 17-yard line, where Colts kicker Monico Flores-Segovia nailed a field goal to make it 17-7.
Poly responded on its ensuing drive, as Seve connected with receivers Anderson, Coley and Raymond Gaines early in the fourth quarter. Seve then ran the ball himself to the Carson one-yard line before Johnson II eventually punched in a short touchdown to cut the lead to 17-14.
Carson took some time off the clock on its next drive before turning the ball over on downs, giving Poly the ball back at the Jackrabbits’ 26-yard line with under six minutes to play. That’s where Poly began its final drive, which saw a pair of penalties, including one that took back a 57-yard touchdown strike to Shepherd. The Jackrabbits eventually settled for a field goal from the Carson 11-yard line, but the kick from the left hash just missed the uprights, allowing Carson to kneel out the game with a minute to play.
Seve finished the game 15-for-22 for 173 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a fumble lost. Johnson II carried the ball 13 times for 51 rushing yards and a score, while Coley had seven grabs for 96 receiving yards. Poly ended the game with eight penalties for 65 yards, while Carson was flagged five times for 50 yards.
“We just execute and minimize the mistakes,” Patterson said. “We have to stay locked in. We gotta do all the little details right because any slight mistake can cost us. We just have to get back in the film room and fix our mistakes.”
Long Beach Poly will be on the road next week against Inglewood in a game likely to be played at El Camino College. The Jackrabbits will then conclude their non-league schedule the following week against Rancho Cucamonga.
