The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
History will be made Friday night. With the first-ever Hub City League Championship on the line, the Compton Tarbabes and Compton Centennial Apaches will fight for the title tomorrow night.
Since leaving the Moore League, Compton has looked right at home in their new league. The Tarbabes are entering this matchup as the top team in the league with an 8-1 overall and 3-0 Hub City League record.
Senior Edward Rivera has been a star for Compton this season, and he shines against fellow league opponents. Against Dominguez, Rivera ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns before scoring five more TDs on 246 yards when facing Cabrillo.
Junior quarterback Donnie Johnson III has been another key tool for the Tarbabes, working well with Rivera to get things done on offense. In Compton’s most recent game vs Cabrillo, the junior went 8-for-8 for 159 yards and three touchdowns in just the first half.
Since Compton’s only loss to Wilson, the Tarbabes have outscored Hub City League opponents 136-20.
On the other side of the ball is a 5-3 Centennial team who is 1-1 against league opponents. The Apaches had a bye last week and will return to the field with fresh legs as they take on the Tarbabes.
Centennial is the last team that can stop Compton’s championship run. The Apaches ran away with their Hub City opener on a 51-0 shutout over Compton Early College. The very next week, they dropped a tough contest against Cabrillo in a 33-28 loss.
Despite that loss, the Centennial offense almost completed the comeback, proving they can gather the willpower to put up a fight against their league opponents. The Apaches trailed 20-0 early in the game, but the team rallied together in the second half and cut the deficit down to five points late in the game.
Defense will be crucial on Friday night in order for Centennial to try slowing down Rivera and stuffing Johnson III. Defensive lineman Magic Haynes, an Arizona State commit, has been a presence for the Apaches defense and is a leader for his team, helping them secure two massive shutout wins this season.
After a week of rest, Haynes will look to step up with the whole team of Apaches to try and fight the Tarbabes from winning a championship title. The last time the two teams faced off in 2024, Compton came away with a 48-12 win over Centennial.
Friday’s match up will be another battle between the cross-town rivals. Compton has already shown they earned their spot at the top of the Hub City League, and a win against Centennial would make it official. For Centennial, a win would disrupt the Tarbabes’ undefeated league run and keep the first Hub City title in history from being decided so soon.
