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 Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The Wilson football team couldn’t have asked for a better back-and-forth battle to open the season last week, and as designed, the schedule only gets harder. The Bruins will look to bounce back from their one-point loss to Mayfair as they hit the road to face JSerra Catholic on Friday at 7 pm.
If the Bruins learned anything positive about themselves in last Friday’s 41-40 loss, it’s that they’re certainly capable of scoring the football. Wilson fans saw the team’s top two offensive weapons find the end zone, including a four-touchdown performance from standout receiver Kyle Harris that featured a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns.
That special teams scoring ability added another wrinkle to Wilson’s offense, which also saw a promising and clean performance from new starting quarterback Logan Trafas. The senior threw for a pair of touchdowns, but more importantly played error-free football and nearly led the Bruins on a game-winning scoring drive.
It’ll be a true challenge for Wilson’s offense against a JSerra team that’s also coming into the matchup battle-tested after a 42-41 loss that featured some timely plays from its defense. The Lions came up with three takeaways to keep themselves in last Friday’s bout, including interceptions from seniors Dylan Brown and Braylin Spencer.
Defensively, Wilson is looking for a bounceback performance against another tough JSerra unit. The Lions utilized five different ball-carriers last Friday, with quarterback Jack Hilgenberg accounting for JSerra’s lone rushing touchdown. Hilgenberg also found receiver Sam Fredericksen through the air for a score.
According to MaxPreps, JSerra is ranked as the No. 31 team in the state, while Wilson sits at No. 322. The Lions finished last season 3-7 overall and 0-5 in the Trinity League.
