Screenshot 2026 10 19 at 11.05.41 AM
Athlete of the Week Compton Cross Country Football Lakewood Long Beach Poly Long Beach State Millikan Volleyball Water Polo Wilson

The562.org’s Athletes of the Week

The562’s Athletes of the Week is sponsored by the Long Beach Century Club.

Congratulations to our Athletes of the Week and thanks to the Long Beach Century Club and Naples Rib Company for their support.

HIGH SCHOOL

Garon Harden, Lakewood Football

Senior defensive lineman Garon Harden played a huge role in Lakewood’s win over Wilson. Harden had a sack and three tackles for a loss in the dominant defensive effort from the Lancers, helping to secure the 21-14 victory.

McKennah Iamaleava, Long Beach Poly Girls’ Volleyball

Long Beach Poly claimed the Moore League title after an undefeated season capped off with a sweep against Millikan. Senior McKennah Iamaleava had 10 kills and six aces against the Rams to go with 22 kills and 17 digs against Redondo Union two days later.

Scott Daniels, Wilson Boys’ Water Polo

Scott Daniels helped Wilson regain the lead and take home the victory against Long Beach Poly on Tuesday. The junior had a hat trick in the 11-6 win.

Audrey Buckley, Wilson Girls’ Cross Country

Wilson Girls’ Cross Country took home another team win at the Moore League El Dorado meet, once again led by Audrey Buckley. With a PR of 17:16, Buckley took home the gold and led her team to victory.

Hector Diaz, Millikan Boys’ Cross Country

Hector Diaz repeated as the individual medalist in the Moore League cross country meet at El Dorado Park. Finishing with a time of 14:59, Diaz led the Rams for back-to-back wins.

Edward Rivera, Compton Football

Compton secured another Hub City win behind another dominant performance from Edward Rivera. On Senior Night, the senior Rivera scored five touchdowns on 246 yards and 11 touches.

Aden Taufa, Millikan Football

Aden Taufa helped the Millikan Rams secure a much-needed victory over Jordan on Friday night. The junior had three offensive touches, three touchdowns and an interception all in the first quarter to contribute to a 60-14 dominant win.

COLLEGE

Madi Maxwell, LBSU Women’s Volleyball

Long Beach State had a good week on the court, and Madi Maxwell was a crucial part of the Beach’s success. Maxwell recorded a triple-double in the five-set comeback victory against Utah Valley to go with eight kills, 16 assists, seven digs and five blocks against Sac State two days later.

Nina Fife
Nina Fife is a junior at Pepperdine University double majoring in Journalism and English with a writing and rhetoric emphasis. She began working with The562 in the inaugural intern class before being hired as their Social Media Director and now Assistant Editor. Nina is a proud Long Beach schools alum who graduated with valedictorian honors.