The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009 It’s been Sammie Hamilton’s dream for as long as she can remember, and next week for the first time she’ll compete with a Team USA swim cap on. Hamilton is part of the strong USA contingent competing among more than 10,000 […]
A certain level of toughness and grit is required to play any sports, but every year an athlete or two catch our eyes and distinguish themselves as having found another gear. That’s true of both of this year’s honorees, who played through injury and led their teams both emotionally and in terms of production. Sone […]
One of the special aspects of the Long Beach sports world is how community-based it is, and how many programs feel like a family. The Long Beach Poly football team has always been one of those teams, and that’s been evident in how the program has grieved and remembered Keith “Slice” Thompson, the beloved longtime […]
After an unforgettable high school football season in Long Beach, perhaps the most memorable moment came from a group of middle schoolers playing on one of the sport’s biggest stages. The Patriots 11U team out of Long Beach got the chance to play at SoFi Stadium for their Snoop Dogg Super Bowl XVI championship, dominating […]
Photo courtesy Katherine Fukuda/The Salvation Army Near the corner of Spring Street and Long Beach Boulevard sits a brand new turf field, adorning the Salvation Army’s Donald & Priscilla Hunt Red Shield Community Center. On Tuesday night, the sparkling new facility welcomed representatives from the defending Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams, who were there […]
It’s time for a new era of ‘What Up, Long Beach?!’ and the local sports community is in charge this time. Find out what that means and spread the word about new sponsorship opportunities at The562.org
The All-City Freshmen of the Year award has been a great predictor of success the last two years, with previous winners Camille Lindsay, Maya O’Dea, Jason Parra, and Sammie Hamilton all continuing to dominate the Moore League this year (all four won Moore League Player of the Year or individual championship honors in 2021-22). We […]
Each year we present the Spirit of Long Beach award to a person or group of people that’s inspired us over the course of the school year. We’ve never spent less time deliberating the award than we did this year, in deciding to present it to Long Beach Poly junior Gabriel Tyler. We’ve known Gabe […]
As athletes begin to specialize in a sport or even a position within a sport at earlier and earlier ages, the era of the multisport star has largely come to a close. It’s no longer the norm for the city dominant high school athletes to earn Player of the Year consideration in multiple sports the […]
They don’t have helmets and pads on quite yet, but all of the Long Beach high school football players have returned to regular practice this month. While teams like Long Beach Poly and Millikan are gearing up for the season with their returning superstars showcasing their talents in elite passing tournaments, teams like Wilson and […]