Long Beach Poly’s Deon Jackson (8) celebrates after he knocks away the two point conversion Millikan needed to tie the game in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Jude Nelson scores for the Rams putting them just two points behind the Jackrabbits in the last minute of the game in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s quarterback Legend Galeai (10) races past Millikan’s Dominic Palma (40) and Elijah Espinoza (15) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Samson Khan looks to get around Long Beach Poly’s Steven Hunter (21) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Donte Wright Jr. knocks away a potential touchdown pass to Millikan’s Jay Williams (8) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jordan Moreno (13) and Zion Anderson (6) stop Millikan’s Samson Khan (23) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Donte Wright Jr. (4) tries to catch a pass just out of the hands of Millikan’s Landon Ross (1) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Anthony Rodriguez (78) lifts teammate Elijah Dawson (26) after he scores a touchdown for the Jackrabbits in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
DJ Mustard performs for the crowd at halftime as Long Beach Poly take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
DJ Mustard performs for the crowd at halftime as Long Beach Poly take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Landon Ross (1) tries to break free from Long Beach Poly’s Steven Hunter (21) and in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
DJ Mustard performs for the crowd at halftime as Long Beach Poly take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jaden Hernandez (9) pulls away from Millikan’s EJ Enriquez (21) to score a jackrabbit touchdown in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Landon Ross (1) is stopped by Long Beach Poly’s Deon Jackson (8) and Kavika Afemata (19) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly students take a selfie in the crowd as they cheer on their team against Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
DJ Mustard performs for the crowd at halftime as Long Beach Poly take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
DJ Mustard performs for the crowd at halftime as Long Beach Poly take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Ryan Carter (7) tries to get past Long Beach Poly’s Toa Tamasoa (0) as the two teams battle it out in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Jesse Laumasima cant stop Long Beach Poly’s Elijah Dawson (26) as he runs it in for a Jackrabbit touchdown in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Samson Khan is tripped up by Long Beach Poly’s Harry Johnson (14) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
MIllikan’s Elijah Espinoza takes down Long Beach Poly’s Steven Hunter in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Steven Hunter (21) races through MIllikan’s defense as the two teams battle it out in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
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Long Beach Poly’s Deon Jackson (8) celebrates after he knocks away the two point conversion Millikan needed to tie the game in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Poly football team embraced the next-man-up mentality and scored 24 straight points in the second and third quarters before stopping a late 2-point conversion attempt to secure a 24-22 victory over Millikan in a Moore League rivalry game at Veterans Stadium on Friday night.
The NFL’s LA Rams and Nike LA’s high school rivalry game of the week also had a halftime performance from DJ Mustard, who is best known for collaborating with rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Poly improved to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in the Moore League.
The Jackrabbits were led by senior quarterback Legend Galeai, who completed 11 of 14 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown in his first start after playing along the defensive line for the past two seasons. Sophomore Elijah Dawson, the team’s second-string running back, had 92 yards rushing and one touchdown on 18 carries. Starting running back Harry Johnson was moved to linebacker, to replace another injured starter, Taj Bordeaux.
“It was a complete team effort,” Long Beach Poly coach Justin Utupo said. “This was a team victory. We needed to lean on everybody. It was all hands on deck from players to coaches. I’m just proud of the way we were able to finish.”
Long Beach Poly football coach Justin Utupo and (special guest) 2026 OL/DL Savion Day on @LBPoly_Football’s next-man-up mentality that powered the Jackrabbits to a 24-22 victory over rival Millikan. @_savionday @JustinUtupo pic.twitter.com/xa4Be7mVfP
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 11, 2025
Millikan scored the final 19 points of the game but dropped to 2-6 overall and 2-2 in the Moore League.
The Rams were led by senior running back Samson Khan, who finished with 171 total yards of offense (97 rushing, 74 receiving) and two touchdown catches. Freshman quarterback Jonah Tuaniga completed 9 of 19 attempts for 128 yards, three touchdown passes and one interception.
The Jackrabbits got the ball first in the second half and used a nearly seven-minute scoring drive, highlighted by a 1-yard touchdown run by junior receiver Jayden Coley, to go up 24-3 with 5:01 left in the third quarter. The PAT was made by senior backup kicker Zadie Kuykendall, a three-sport athlete who also plays on the girls flag football and soccer teams.
Millikan responded with a long kick return by sophomore Ryan Carter to the Poly 21. The Rams made it 24-10 on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Tuaniga to Khan with 1:42 left in the third.
“This team is a special group,” Millikan coach Romeo Pellum said. “We’ve been through a lot of stuff. A lot of adversity and they don’t fall over and crawl. They’re going to fight until the end.”
Tuaniga found Khan again, this time for a 48-yard touchdown pass that made it 24-16 with 7:55 left in the fourth quarter. The PAT was no good on account of a botched snap.
“It’s huge,” Pellum shared when asked about the PAT miscue. “That’s on me. Our snapper went down in practice. Our backup snapper went down. We just have to be more prepared and that’s on me for not having our guys prepared.”
Millikan football coach Romeo Pellum on his team’s 24-22 loss against rival Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium.
The Rams scored the final 19 points of the game but could not convert a 2-point conversion to tie the game with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/5BVVyukPYN
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 11, 2025
Millikan got the ball back down eight points with 3:55 left in the fourth. Khan’s 51-yard run moved the Rams to the Poly 23 with 3:23 to go.
A 6-yard touchdown pass from Tuaniga to senior tight end Jude Nelson cut Poly’s lead to 24-22 with 1:07 left in the game.
However, Tuaniga’s 2-point conversion pass attempt bounced off of the 6-foot-4 Nelson’s outstretched hands. The pass was broken up by Poly senior safety Deon Jackson, who is committed to Cal.
Millikan’s onside kick was unsuccessful. Poly picked up a first down before kneeling out the game with 48 seconds remaining.
Poly played without starting quarterback Deuce Jefferson, who suffered a foot injury in a 56-7 nonleague loss at Mission Viejo on Oct. 3.
“He’s not playing but he’s still a part of the team,” Utupo said before the game. “He’s still going to be an asset for us on the sideline, coaching up the quarterbacks after every series so he’s still a big piece of what we’re doing.”
Utupo also served as Poly’s play caller after former offensive coordinator Justin Williams announced he parted ways with the program on Wednesday.
“You have to make the guys that are playing dynamic,” Utupo explained. “That’s leaning on their strengths, putting them in position to succeed.”
On Poly’s opening drive, the team’s first snap flew over the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Galeai’s head and was recovered by Millikan at the Poly 17 with 8:58 left in the first quarter.
The Rams’ drive stalled out in the red zone but senior kicker Sebastian Perez made a 28-yard field goal, which put Millikan up 3-0 with 7:24 left in the first.
Poly’s second possession got off to a better start. The Jackrabbits gained 61 yards on the ground on a nine-minute scoring drive, capped off by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Galeai to senior tight end Jaden Hernandez (Colorado State commit). Poly led 7-3 with 9:59 left in the second quarter.
Dawson’s 7-yard touchdown run put the Jackrabbits up 14-3 with 1:12 left in the second.
Poly junior safety Kavika Afemata’s sack in Millikan territory with less than 30 seconds remaining in the second, followed by an interception by senior defensive lineman Savion Day stopped Millikan’s two-minute offense and gave the Jackrabbits the ball with eight seconds left in the first half.
“I’m prepared for this,” said Day, who also plays on Poly’s offensive line. “I knew it was going to come sooner or later so it was no surprise.”
Poly senior kicker Jonas Mendoza made a 29-yard field goal as time expired, which put the Jackrabbits up 17-3 at halftime. However, Mendoza was injured on the play and was carted off the field via ambulance, which delayed the game by 25 minutes.
Galeai completed his first five passes for 57 yards and one touchdown in the first half.
Millikan, who dropped to fourth in the league standings, will host rival Lakewood (5-3, 3-1) on Friday, Oct. 17.
“We just have to win the next two and we’ll be fine,” Pellum said. “And get a change to start playing in November. The goal is to play eight more. We have two more regular season games. We have CIF-SS and we have CIF State, so the goal is eight but we’re going to take it one week at a time.”
Poly will host rival Long Beach Wilson (6-1, 3-0) on Friday, Oct. 17. The winner of that game will have sole possession of first place in the Moore League with two weeks left in the regular season.
Inside Long Beach Poly football’s pregame chant before hosting Long Beach Millikan at Veterans Stadium on Oct. 10, 2025. pic.twitter.com/bHCHdVuKef
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 11, 2025
Long Beach Poly football coach Justin Utupo on playing rival Millikan without starting quarterback Deuce Jefferson, who was injured in last week’s non league game against Mission Viejo. pic.twitter.com/WAdq8JT8PM
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 11, 2025
Long Beach Millikan football coach on starting fast and blocking out the noise in a rivalry game against Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium. pic.twitter.com/6jU2MRVqA0
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 11, 2025
Originally Published: October 10, 2025 at 10:17 PM PDT