As someone who was born and raised in Long Beach, I’ve heard more times than I can count that our quaint town of nearly 500,000 residents is “the biggest small town in America.” It’s a sentiment that’s existed since the city’s population began to take off more than 100 years ago with an influx of […]
I think all student-athletes walk across their high school graduation stage with a level of uncertainty. From the ones going play at the next level, to the ones who will never play their sport again, they’re all turning the page an an unwritten chapter. I know Brayan Mora felt that uncertainty, and then some, when […]
Long Beach State’s hire of Eric Valenzuela as the new coach of the Dirtbags brought a lot of reactions across our phones. The university was as confident as could be that they’d gotten their guy. Recruits were clearly thrilled — kids have been committing to the program while those who’d been committed to Valenzuela’s old […]
The ancient tale of Siddhartha is about a man who sacrifices materialistic pursuits in order to find a more sustainable spiritually, and he ends up succeeding by finding peace in nothingness. Long Beach State needs to apply that lesson to its search for a new mascot. After years of phasing out the 49ers mascot, and […]
There have been plenty of Moore League baseball seasons where half the schedule was skippable–this year is not one of those years. Thanks to excellent, dedicated coaching from Cabrillo’s Pedro Torres and Jordan’s Bryan Whitfield, the Jaguars and Panthers have been pushing the best teams in the Moore League this season. Last week in a […]
Sports, at its very core, is about getting knocked down and getting back up again. But I might have a new standard for a resilient comeback thanks to a group of soccer players on the Westside. If a Disney princess is the patron saint of underdogs, then Cabrillo boys’ soccer carries the banner for bounce-back […]
Soccer can be the cruelest sport on the planet. It is lovingly referred to as “the beautiful game” that celebrates spontaneous creativity. However, it doesn’t always reward quality, and ultimately only cares about one thing: goals scored. The Cabrillo boys’ soccer program knows this all too well. I can’t count how many times I’ve covered […]
Ray Porter is not one to celebrate himself. A 1973 graduate of Long Beach Poly, he’s spent the last 34 years working as a locker room attendant and campus security officer at his alma mater. In that time, the people who’ve worked with him have never heard him brag about himself or take credit for […]
If prep sports get more serious every year, then why are the crowds shrinking? Not that long ago we saw the Long Beach Poly and Lakewood football game almost sell out Veterans Memorial Stadium. We didn’t see a football sellout this season. Not even close. It wasn’t that long ago we saw the Walter Pyramid […]
We’ve got the full All-Moore League lists for boys’ and girls’ cross country. Stay tuned all week as we post the Fall All-Moore League lists. 18girlscrosscountry 18boyscrosscountry