The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
It was a tough first month for the 2026 Wilson Bruins, but things are certainly looking up now for the defending Moore League champs.
In Friday night’s league opener, the Bruins (2-5, 1-0) hit the road to Jordan (0-6, 0-1) and came away with a composed 35-8 victory–the second in a row for Wilson after a disappointing 0-5 start.
Head coach Raudric Curtis knew he was testing his team early, but he said he’s been pleased with how his team got through that stretch, and how that experience has fueled their wins the past two weeks.
“It’s nice, but I’m not surprised,” said Curtis of how his team improved during that tough stretch. “There was a lot of intentionality behind that. I talked to some of the captains and told them the reality, and had a greater conversation with the team about what preseason was for … It was very calculated. It was brutal on the guys, but they really stuck through it. They toughened up. They built thick skin with the way we coach them and the way we push them. We’re playing our best ball right now, and that’s what’s expected.”
Wilson got off to a slow start in Friday’s win, hampered by having some starters sitting out the first quarter for disciplinary reasons. But the visitors got a spark late in the first quarter from a familiar source, as Kyle Harris caught a punt at his own 15-yard-line and swerved his way through the Jordan coverage team, breaking multiple tackles on his way to an impressive punt return touchdown to give Wilson the 7-0 lead.
“To be honest, if it comes to me, it’s going back to the crib,” said the always confident Harris after the game. “Everybody’s got to know in Long Beach, don’t kick it to (number) six. At the end of the day, if you kick it to me, you might just regret it.”
Harris continued to dominate the first half, scoring all three of Wilson’s touchdowns to give them a 21-0 advantage at intermission. His first TD grab came from QB Logan Trafas, then his second was in the final minute of the half, as sophomore QB Jacob Powell connected with Harris for a 37-yard score.
Powell, a transfer from Servite, just became eligible this week after the sit-out period, and adds another dimension to the Wilson offense. He finished 7/8 for 111 yards and two passing TDs while the senior Trafas was 6/9 for 84 yards, with one passing TD and one rushing TD in the third quarter.
“It’s everything that we planned since the spring,” said Curtis of having both quarterbacks in rotation. “They’re both leaders in the locker room and on the field. They both are dynamic in their own way. I never saw us being the championship team without both of them … Teams that are going against us better plan for both. They better plan for all the things that they can do, and they’re going to spread themselves thin, because we can go in one direction or the other.”
The Bruins extended their lead to 35-0 early in the fourth quarter, on a 25-yard TD completion from Powell to Gary Moore, who plowed his way into the end zone to cap Wilson’s scoring and start the running clock.
Some lapses on special teams were costly for Jordan, but the front seven in particular played well. Phoenix White made some big plays, getting his first of two sacks on Wilson’s opening drive and blocking a first-quarter field goal attempt. Junior Keith Brooks also had a sack, and even forced and recovered a fumble following a Wilson interception.
The star on offense was senior running back Khayiel Wisner, who has been sitting out after transferring from Dominguez. He ran hard all night, racking up 49 yards on 14 carries. He also got Jordan on the board in the closing minutes as he caught a swing pass from Caydyn Hampton and ran in from 28 yards for the score, while also going over 100 total yards on the play.
J-Town will be on a bye next week to rest up for their final three league games of the season. Meanwhile Wilson is preparing for a big showdown with rivals Long Beach Poly on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Cabrillo High.
After that 0-5 start, Harris admitted that Wilson is feeling much better about themselves, and they’ll need to take that belief and confidence into the showdown with the Jackrabbits.
“At first, we had our downs. We thought it might not be the greatest season that we hoped for,” Harris said. “But at the end of the day, we looked at our schedule, and we had to understand, all the teams that we played were in a good division, and we got better off playing them. As you’ve seen today, we work together, communicate, and we can be the best that we can be.”
