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 Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
The formation of the Hub City League created a whole new reality for Compton High, and the Tarbabes are reveling in it.
In a matchup against former Moore League rivals Cabrillo High, the hosts were dominant from the opening whistle, resulting in a 50-14 victory for Compton on their Senior Night.
“I thought we had a pretty good week of practice, and our coaches were pretty fired up about making sure we sealed this game, and we played well,” said Compton head coach Calvin Bryant after the win. “Our guys were able to execute, we didn’t get many injuries, and our guys executed. So I was very happy with how we played.”
Senior Edward Rivera made sure to leave his mark as he led his team to victory. The Sacramento State commit had 11 touches for 246 yards of offense and a whopping five touchdowns for Compton.
“It was really memorable. I’m gonna tell my kids about this one day,” said Rivera after his big game. “I’m just really excited that we came out with the dub. I balled out, I had to do what I had to do.”
Following such a memorable performance, Rivera drew immense praise from his head coach, who is going to miss the senior when he heads off to college next season.
“I’m gonna say this from my heart, you’ve got to come see him in practice every day,” said Bryant. “He takes every rep. He’s never late. He lifts the weights. He does his schoolwork, and he’s a model citizen in our program. Any college should be happy to have him on that program. I’m very displeased that we’re not gonna have him here next year. He’s very much a difference maker, and it’s plain to see what kind of player he is and the character he brings to our program.”
Compton opened the scoring on the first drive of the night as Rivera punched in a five-yard TD run, his first of four TDs in the first half. He also scored from seven yards out later in the opening quarter to give the Tarbabes a 21-0 lead.
Rivera also scored out of the double wing early in the second quarter, breaking free from the pack and racing 93 yards for the score.
The Compton offense also got a big night from junior QB Donnie Johnson III, who was 8/8 for 159 yards and 3 TDs through the air–all in the first half as the Tarbabes led 43-0 at intermission.
Johnson III connected with Ronnie Mixon for an early score, then hit Rivera on a 50-yard bomb down the sidelines, and lastly linked up with Ashton Martin for a 31-yard score in the closing seconds of the half.
The Tarbabes defense had a solid night pitching a shutout through three quarters as Jay’Rome Norwood was all over the field, collecting three pass breakups from his DE/LB spot. The Compton secondary also got involved with interceptions from Jordan Curtis and Dmontae Gibson.
In the third quarter, Compton brought in freshman QB Nate Ramirez, who showed some of his talent with a 42-yard scoring strike to Rivera to cap off Compton’s scoring for the night. Ramirez has been out with a knee injury but was cleared to play earlier this week.
Cabrillo was able to generate some late production as QB Fernando Leanos threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. His first was a 31-yarder to running back Armon Lumpkin, then he connected with Zyair Hughes for a terrific leaping grab in the end zone for a 28-yard score.
With Friday’s win, Compton has now clinched a playoff spot and are the odds-on favorites to claim a Hub City League title next week. The Tarbabes seem to be clicking at the right time as they look to turn the page and pursue a deep run in November.
“Everybody wants to play in that one-and-done part of the season, and we’re excited about it,” said Bryant. “I think we’ve got a great group of guys, and they’re slowly getting more unified, and hopefully we can gel and be healthy enough to be able to perform well in the playoffs and make a good run. That’s all you can ask for. The coaches are putting the work in, the players are putting the work in, you just want to see it show on the field, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Compton (8-1, 3-0) will visit Compton Centennial next Friday in its regular season finale. Meanwhile Cabrillo (3-5, 1-1) will host Dominguez in a game with major playoff implications for the Jags.
