The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
It’s been the case that the Moore League flag football title race has historically hinged on Long Beach Poly’s matchups against Millikan, and by that measure, the Jackrabbits certainly look the part. It was the entertaining matchup you’d expect at DeHaven Stadium on Wednesday, but the Jackrabbits were able to pull ahead in the second half for a 20-6 win over Millikan to remain undefeated midway through the first round of league play.
“This is the rivalry in flag football, and I have a ton of respect for Millikan. We obviously shared the Moore League title with them last year, and so we wanted to compete and raise the level,” said Poly coach Rob Shock. “We made some good changes on defense that allowed us to generate more pressure, and today we were able to roll the group that we had in there and allow our girls to build chemistry.”
The big momentum shift of the game came right before halftime, as a deep pass from Millikan quarterback Holly Ibarra to Alyssa Carillo looked like a potential touchdown before an inadvertent whistle. The refs initially ruled the ball a drop before correctly overturning the call, resulting in the ball being spotted where the ref blew his whistle. Millikan then turned the ball over on downs, going into the half down by one point after what could’ve been a regained lead before the whistle.
To Poly’s full credit, however, the Jackrabbits didn’t allow a touchdown for the rest of the game and came away with a pair of second-half interceptions. Offensively, Poly added a pair of second-half touchdowns while dealing with injuries to quarterbacks Kenzie Paimany and Makayla Lumpkin before eventually finishing the game with Brooklyn Richardson at quarterback.
“Unfortunately, that’s a play that could’ve changed the whole momentum of the game,” Shock said of the overturned call before halftime. “It happens in sports, and unfortunately it did happen and I acknowledge that. But we just had to battle back from it. It was early and we had to continue to play.”
The home team started the game with all of the momentum, as Cassandra Mitchell opened the game with an interception on Poly’s opening offensive drive. The Rams immediately followed that up on offense, as Mitchell picked up a first down on a short pass before Ibarra dropped back and found Charlie Enriquez for a touchdown to make it 6-0 following the failed extra point.
Poly’s offense struggled early, as the Jackrabbits threw another interception to Millikan’s Carillo before finding some rhythm on their next drive. That drive was aided by a pair of Millikan personal fouls before Paimany found Neveah Johnson in the back of the end zone for an acrobatic catch. After the extra point, the Jackrabbits led 7-6.
Poly’s second-half defensive changes made an immediate impact early in the third quarter, as Julie Lopez came up with an interception on Millikan’s opening drive of the half. The Jackrabbits were able to capitalize, as running back Amai’a Johnson took the ball to the one-yard line on a long carry before Paimany found Richardson for a short touchdown to give Poly a one-touchdown lead.
The Jackrabbits forced a punt on their next defensive drive before immediately getting back to work on offense with Lumpkin at quarterback. Lumpkin had a first-down carry before handing it off to Johnson, who took the ball near midfield and all the way down the right sideline for Poly’s final touchdown of the game.
“It was great,” Johnson said of making an impact as just a sophomore. “It was amazing. We were going back and forth with Millikan, so helping get us the final two touchdowns was huge. It feels great to have an impact and I think we were really able to get our confidence up throughout the game.”
Poly came up with another interception on Millikan’s next drive, as Monica Goggins had a pick to help protect the Jackrabbits’ lead. Poly also found more success generating pressure in the second half, as Sophia Hernandez and Marley Barajas both had sacks to help seal the game.
The Jackrabbits will continue their league schedule with a huge matchup against Lakewood at home on Monday, while Millikan will have a bye before hosting Jordan on Wednesday.
“It’s just one game at a time,” Shock said. “We need to take care of who we have next. We can’t look ahead and we can’t look back at what we’ve done. We’re going to enjoy this win for the next 24 hours and move on to the next game. That’s our mentality because the next time around, they’re going to be a different team and we have to elevate our level.”
