As the current school year comes to a close, attention has already begun to shift towards the fall, and whether high school sports can safely return across the country. On May 15, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) released the “Guidance for Opening Up High School Athletics and Activities” in an effort […]
St. Anthony
Writing The Story of 2020’s Missing League, CIF Championships
With this week’s scheduled CIF Southern Section championships canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will officially be a blank line across the record books. Before we close the book on 2019-20, we wanted to take a look at a few of the league and CIF-SS/State championships we expected to be covering this May–just because […]
PODCAST: Talking Baseball With Tai & Ricky Tiedemann
This week on the podcast Mike and JJ talk to the baseball player brothers Tai and Ricky Tiedemann. Tai also played football at Long Beach Poly, and is currently a minor league baseball player. Ricky is a senior at Lakewood and is about to get drafted. 08:30 Interview With The Brothers Tiedemann 28:00 Quarantine Recommendations […]
USA Soccer Developmental Academy Closure Changes Game
Long Beach youth soccer will be forever changed after the U.S. Soccer Federation terminated its nationwide developmental academy league this month because of the COVID-19 pandemic financial impact. “We know that suddenly discontinuing a program that has been with U.S. Soccer for many years is shocking, but these unprecedented times required taking action now,” the […]
Four Long Beach Players Sign To NFL Teams
With a few notable changes to its execution, the 2020 NFL Draft went on as scheduled last weekend. The event lacked the anticipated pomp and circumstance of being held live on the Las Vegas Strip, but the dreams realized over the weekend were every bit as real as in years past. From a local perspective, […]
FEATURE: Ili Family Recovering After COVID-19 Scare
Easter in the Ili household in Long Beach is usually a well-choreographed parade of activity. In years past Lina Ili would put on music early in the morning while she, her husband Junior, and their four children got ready for church. At St. Cornelius, those six Ilis would be surrounded by around 80 other members […]
PODCAST: Interview With CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod
This week on the show we’re talking to CIF Southern Section commissioner Rob Wigod about how high school sports will be restarted and what that will look like. 01:00 “The 562 Classic” Is Back with 2012 Long Beach Poly Football vs. St. John Bosco 06:00 Interview With CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod 44:20 Quarantine […]
FEATURE: Kendall Cooper’s Basketball Season Ends Before it Begins in Australia
As far back as Kendall Cooper can remember, this is the longest she’s ever gone without touching a basketball. For the better part of a month, the former McDonald’s All-American has been kept off the court where she’s made her name. Her talent and on the hardwood helped her become one of the best players […]
PODCAST: Catching Up With Wilson Alum Chase De Jong
Are you missing sports like we are? We’ve decided to go back and re-record some of our favorite Long Beach highlight videos we’ve produced over the last 12 years. This week we’re starting with the 2012 Moore League baseball showdown between Lakewood’s Shane Watson and Wilson’s Chase De Jong, and we’re talking to De Jong […]
COLUMN: Our Hearts Break For Long Beach Seniors
Meetings of the Long Beach Unified School District’s Board of Education are usually pretty…well, boring. Absent of any fireworks or major disagreements, they’re almost always about an hour of cordial agreement and unanimous votes. Last week’s meeting was about as far from “usual” as the Board has probably ever gotten. Superintendent Chris Steinhauser announced that […]










