The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
A slow start to the 2026 season didn’t stop Long Beach Poly (13-9) from winning a fourth straight Moore League flag football title and earning a spot in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.
However, a slow start in their second-round matchup with No. 2 seed Redondo Union (17-5) proved to be their undoing, as the Jackrabbits couldn’t climb out of a 19-0 hole, falling by a margin of 38-13 against the visiting Sea Hawks.
“These girls, I’m just so proud of them,” said Poly head coach Rob Shock. “I know it’s not the outcome we wanted. That score is not what we are as a team, and there’s a lot to say that isn’t portrayed on that scoreboard. These girls are awesome. I love them. They’ve done some great things and they’ve helped build this program.”
Redondo Union got the ball first and drove for a go-ahead score on a short TD run by Abigail Markis on 4th & Goal at the Poly one-yard line. Two plays later, an interception by Riley Durepo set the Sea Hawks up on a short field. QB Blair Nolen connected with Ivy Brown to give RUHS a 13-0 lead about eight minutes into the game.
Nolen and Brown connected for another score in the second quarter, giving the Sea Hawks a 19-0 lead with 4:13 left in the first half.
That’s when Poly was able to find some rhythm, getting some great catches from sophomore Neheah Johnson to help the Jackrabbits drive the field. QB Kenzie Paimany hit Brooklyn Richardson for a short TD toss, getting Poly on the scoreboard before the break.
Redondo Union was able to quickly drive for a response, and a TD run by Nolen gave the visitors a 25-6 halftime lead.
Poly got an interception from Johnson in the end zone to deny a Redondo Union scoring chance, then the Jackrabbits drove the other way thanks to a few nice grabs from Sophia Hernandez. Paimany finished off the drive with a TD run, then hit Richardson for the extra point to cut the deficit to 25-13 with 3:21 left in the third quarter.
The Jackrabbits were unable to keep that comeback effort going, however, as the Sea Hawks got another TD run by Nolen and then a TD toss from Kyndall Aguirre to Markis to close the scoring. The Redondo Union defense also got a pair of interceptions from Quinn Ziemniak in the win.
Shock reflected on the contributions made by the senior class, which helped establish the program by winning a league title all four years.
“These seniors have made an establishment for the future of this program, and I just can’t thank them enough,” said Shock. “These girls have been amazing. I wish it could have been different, but there’s only one team that’s going to walk away with this championship. It’s a sad feeling, but I’m very thankful for what we did this season and how we played.”
Redondo Union will face Palos Verdes for the third time this season in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
