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The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
Coming off Long Beach’s first football playoffs with zero wins in a half-century, it’s been a brutal start to the season in 2026. There have been several weeks where not a single team has picked up a win, occurrences which have sparked plenty of conversation online.
On the one hand, the criticism is well-deserved. Long Beach has a proud history in the sport, and had enjoyed recent success under the new CIF-SS competitive equity format. That has all dried up lately amid transfer forfeits and other issues, all of which deserve to be critiqued in order to be actually addressed and fixed.
Still, things aren’t as bad as they seem in our opinion. If you look at Poly (the 12th hardest strength of schedule in the CIF-SS), Wilson, Millikan and Lakewood, all have by far the hardest strength of schedule of the teams ranked around them. Those teams’ rankings aren’t that different from where they were when teams were making playoff runs a few years ago, their coaches have just scheduled harder opponents.
In our theory of the case, you’ll see teams prepared for a tough battle in league (with less guaranteed playoff spots) and then for the playoffs beyond–only time will tell if this season is another dud or if it ends in a championship for a local team, but below we make our optimistic case for each team at the midway point of the season.
Long Beach Poly
There are no moral victories at Long Beach Poly, something first-year coach Travon Patterson was well aware of when he took the job. Still while the 1-4 Jackrabbits have plenty to be frustrated about, there are a ton of bright spots.
First, strength of schedule: Poly has played the No. 15 (Tustin), No. 16 (Inglewood), No. 30 (Yorba Linda) and No. 42 (Downey) teams in the CIF Southern Section. While those teams, outside of Inglewood, might not be big brand name schools, those are quality opponents. The Jackrabbits actually have the 12th-hardest strength of schedule of any CIF-SS team according to HS Ratings.
Their defense has already proven to be high-level, giving up just one touchdown to Tustin and Carson, yet still losing those games 16-13 and 17-14 thanks to Poly’s offense giving up touchdowns to their opponents’ defenses.
The biggest reason for optimism with Poly aside from their tough schedule is that they’ll be a very different team in five days. The Jackrabbits get several players eligible on the Sit Out Period day, including UCLA-offered quarterback Trevor Scott, defensive line star Sevelino Taliauli, Oregon-offered DB Emmanuel Beaver, and many more. As many as six Jackrabbit starters could become eligible for the start of Moore League play.
With their rating lowered into Division 3 territory after the 1-4 start, Poly could be poised to round into shape through the league schedule and into a very winnable playoff bracket.
Millikan
Clearly an 0-4 start is not what head coach Romeo Pellum was hoping for, but he also understood the gauntlet he laid out before his team. All of Millikan’s non-league opponents are .500 or better, and the schedule so far is bookended by 5-0 Huntington Beach and 5-0 Capistrano Valley.
Plus, road games at Loyola (3-2) and Downey (2-2) are hardly cupcakes, especially for such a young roster. Even if things went smoothly for the Rams this season, this schedule was always going to be a challenge.
Then you consider key injuries to starting quarterback Jonah Tuaniga and starting running back/linebacker Ryan Carter, and the odds have been even more stacked against the Rams. In their third game, they even turned to senior Garrett McLeod at QB after he left the program to focus on baseball as a junior.
Adding a few key transfers after the sit-out period and getting some starters healthy should make a difference for a team desperate for some consistency in the starting lineup. After two more tough games against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (4-0) and Palos Verdes (5-0), the schedule will ease up considerably once league play starts.
The talent level in the program has grown substantially in Pellum’s tenure, and the next step for the Rams is finding playoff success. An 0-4 start won’t stop them from achieving that goal, so let’s see what it looks like in November.
Wilson
Rooted in the tough start to the season for local teams has been the scheduling of tough opponents, and Wilson has arguably been the biggest example of that. The Bruins’ non-league slate so far has featured teams that have an average ranking of No. 24 in the CIF Southern Section according to the latest computer rankings from HSRatings.com, which are used to determine playoff brackets.
For reference, Wilson is at No. 135 in the section—a much more favorable spot when compared to its Moore League opponents. Long Beach Poly will be the toughest task at No. 43, but every other league opponent is ranked outside of the top 120 teams in the Southern Section, which is certain to brew up a much more competitive second half to the season for the Bruins in their quest to clinch one of the two guaranteed playoff spots in the league.
Wilson doesn’t have as much to be excited about with the sit-out period approaching as some of its leaguemates do, namely Poly and Millikan, but it does open up the Bruins offense a bit. Sophomore quarterback and Servite transfer Jacob Powell will finally get to hit the field, and it has been coach Raudric Curtis’ plan since the offseason to run an offense around both him and senior Logan Trafas simultaneously.
Lakewood
The Lancers have taken some encouraging steps forward while also showing some inconsistency through the first half of the season. Lakewood owns the best overall record among Moore League teams at 2-3 and its schedule has provided plenty of opportunities to prove itself. After a 48-3 loss to Corona del Mar, the Lancers bounced back with a 12-7 win over Paramount and then nearly pulled off a major upset against defending CIF-SS champion Ventura, falling 26-24. They followed that with a 24-17 win over Mayfair to retain the Milk Bucket. The 38-13 loss to Torrance was a setback, but Lakewood has shown it can compete with quality opponents.
The Lancers get another non-league test and an opportunity to create offensive rhythm when they travel to Villa Park Thursday.
Jordan
The Panthers brought a ton of excitement into the 2026 season with new head coach Rashaad Penny taking over the program, and while they’re still looking for their first win, there’s no reason to panic in J-Town.
There’s always a learning curve for first-time head coaches, and Penny is bringing a long-term vision to the North Side.
The schedule has also not been very favorable. Jordan’s opponents so far this year have a combined record of 22-2. After opening the year against a much-improved Compton team, Jordan has spent four consecutive weeks on the road.
It’s not often that a team goes more than a month between home games, and it’ll be a welcome return home this Friday as J-Town hosts Cabrillo for the 710 Rivalry. A sixth consecutive win over the Jags would be a great way to close out the non-league slate and give the Panthers a needed boost of confidence.
Compton
This is where Compton thought it would be a year ago. The Tarbabes started the season close to full strength and are 5-0, positioning themselves as the favorite for the Hub City League title in their first season in the new league. After missing the playoffs last year, Compton has flipped the script behind an explosive offense, a defense that keeps creating big plays and a group of veterans that has consistently finished games.
The Tarbabes have all but assured themselves a playoff appearance before league action starts and they’ll wrap up non-league action against former Moore League foe Wilson on Friday. The bigger questions now are what division Compton lands in and how the level of competition will impact a team that has dominated its schedule so far.
Compton has the opportunity to make a statement in its first Hub City League season, but the Tarbabes must keep sharpening themselves before the playoffs arrive where competition will be tougher. A win over Wilson would be a big start.
Cabrillo
Progress is the goal for the Jags, and things are already looking up in year two for head coach Malcolm Manuel. The Cabrillo alum has brought good energy and focus to the program–one that narrowly survived the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Wins are a valuable thing on the West Side and shouldn’t be overlooked. The Jags haven’t registered more than two wins in any season since 2016, after forfeits wiped away their inspiring 4-0 start back in 2022.
Cabrillo’s 35-0 victory over Maywood was the team’s largest win in three years, and shows that these Jags are not only capable of winning, but winning big.
Cabrillo visits Jordan to wrap up non-league play, and then things get really interesting for the Jags thanks to their move to the Hub City League. Say what you will about the Moore League’s struggles in 2026, but the numbers are clear: the Hub City League offers a much clearer path to the postseason for Cabrillo. If the Jags can finish top two in the league, they’ll earn their first playoff berth since 2014.
St. Anthony
The reality of St. Anthony’s start to the season is that it’s been no different than successful past seasons under head coach Jeff Magdaleno. Pair that with its young roster, and the outlook for St. Anthony football becomes much more favorable midway through the season.
Even St. Anthony’s CIF-SS Division 10 championship runner-up team two years ago started the season 0-4 and went on to close 8-1 leading up to the title game. The Saints had an even tougher start to last season, going 0-6, but still managed a third-place finish in the Del Ray League for a second straight postseason appearance under Magdaleno.
Obviously, past results are no indication of future events, but the Saints are certainly under the right leadership to turn another season around. The same holds true on the field with a handful of key seniors, including three-year starter Aidan Jones at quarterback, while a handful of underclassmen starters are continuing to learn in the still-young 2026 season.
With that group, St. Anthony has shown signs of being close to putting it all together. The Saints had nine different drives in their first three games that ended without points, but they’ve consistently shown an ability to sustain 10-plus-play drives and move the ball down the field. The next step is simply finishing those drives and taking advantage of those opportunities, which could make a big difference for the Saints in the second half of the season.
