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 Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser.
The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
Before Friday night’s visit to North Long Beach, Cabrillo head coach Malcolm Manuel told his coaches group chat that he would be putting “all cards on the table” in the Jags’ 710 Rivalry showdown with Jordan.
Then with less than 30 seconds to play and the game hanging in the balance, Manuel wasn’t afraid to let his seniors play cards of their own, leading to a thrilling game-winning touchdown pass from Fernando Leanos to Danny Lopez, giving Cabrillo the lead in dramatic fashion to earn their first win over Jordan since 2019.
Daniel Rodriguez added a Pick 6 on the final play of the game to give the Jaguars a 58-48 victory, spoiling Homecoming on the North Side.
“This is for sure number one,” said Manuel on where this win ranks all-time in games he’s coached. “Just the meaning behind it and everything we poured into it this week, it’s number one.”
Though this game is no longer a Moore League matchup as of this season, it still means a great deal to players on both sidelines. Especially for a Cabrillo senior class that has never beaten Jordan as the Panthers have rattled off five consecutive victories.
“A lot of these guys know each other, a lot of them went to school together,” said Manuel of the rivalry. “It’s been a good little friendly talk back and forth all week, and five years is a long time. For guys like Fernando, Danny, and all of our seniors, it was good because they’ve never beat Jordan. So to end their careers here with the win against them was really what I wanted the most.”
With more than 100 points scored in the four-hour marathon, there’s a number of gaudy stats to throw out for both teams.
Leanos was asked to do most of the heavy lifting for the Cabrillo offense, going 29/55 through the air for 433 yards and 5 TDs. Lopez was his favorite target with 11 grabs for 163 yards and a pair of scores.
Anthony McKinney also caught a pair of TDs for Cabrillo, catching four passes for 62 yards. Armon Lumpkin caught 7 passes for 85 yards and a score, plus added a 52-yard rushing TD for the Jags. Cabrillo ran it just 11 times compared to the 55 pass attempts for Leanos, but the scoring output was certainly there.
Manuel was also aggressive in going for it on fourth down early in the game–even in his own territory–and his team repaid his confidence in them.
“We know what we’re capable of offensively. Fernando has grasped the offense at a really high level, and we told him coming into the week that if it was a manageable fourth down, we’re going to go for it … Aggressive is our mentality.”
Jordan’s offense had by far its biggest scoring output of the season as well, scoring more points on Friday night than they had in their previous five games combined. Junior QB Caydyn Hampton led the attack through the air, going 21/43 for 386 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran for 44 yards and a score on the ground.
Sama’jay Jackson was his favorite target on the outside. The senior caught six passes for 180 yards and had a 66-yard catch-and-run to put J-Town on the board in the first quarter. EJ Edwards had four grabs for 95 yards and Jordan Thomas hauled in five passes for 64 yards and a pair of second-half TDs.
On the ground, Romeo Amaya totaled 58 yards on nine carries, but three of those runs went for scores, punching it in from one, three, and seven yards away. His final score with 2:27 left to play gave Jordan a 48-44 lead, and it was up to J-Town’s defense to hang on.
It appeared Jordan had survived with under 90 seconds to play when Leanos’ pass on 4th & 13 fell incomplete, but a roughing the passer penalty extended the drive. Available video was inconclusive in assessing the penalty, but the Jags still had plenty of work to do after the flag moved the ball just shy of midfield.
After passes to Lopez and Lumpkin, the Jags faced a 2nd & 17 at the Jordan 18-yard line with about 30 seconds left on the fourth quarter clock. During a timeout, Leanos and Lopez interrupted Manuel as he was calling the play. They knew what play they wanted, and Manuel let them have it. He said he trusts their football IQ and knew how important this win was for them.
“I’m calling the play, and they were like, ‘Oh, let’s run this. Let’s run this.’ And I’m like, ‘Whatever you see on the field, I don’t. So go ahead and do it.’” explained Manuel on how the crucial play call came about, and how special it was for those two seniors. “It means something to them specifically because they’ve been here for four years. They’re Westside kids. They grew up going to Cabrillo games. They wanted this as bad as anybody, so I trust those two.”
Lopez ran a corner route and hauled in a perfect pass from Leanos right on the goal line, kicking off a wild celebration on the visitors sideline.
“It was incredibly fun. Probably my favorite game out of my four years I've been here,” said Lopez of the win. “It was competitive, intense; good fight from Jordan. All respect to them, but we deserved the win, and we fought hard. We trained for this all four years.”
The win is a real boost for Cabrillo as they look ahead at a real path toward playoff football. After a bye, they’ll start Hub City League play for the first time. As winners of two of their last three games, confidence is high for the Jags.
“It feels amazing. Our team is putting the pieces together week by week, less mistakes each week, more points,” Lopez stated. “Westside's the best side.”
Jordan (0-6) will host defending Moore League champion Wilson next Friday night, while Cabrillo (2-4) opens league play on Oct. 9 by hosting Compton Centennial.
