LONG BEACH — Travon Patterson is excited about the state of the Long Beach Poly football team.
“I’m happy to be back home,” Patterson said. “Just bringing that culture back. Knowing what the expectations are. I think the coaches before me did a great job of it, too, but being back home and leading this team, I’m excited about it.”
Patterson, a 2006 Poly alum who played college football at USC and Colorado, was hired in January as the team’s new head coach. From the start of his tenure, he’s been focused on a culture of discipline, which was on full display at the Long Beach Poly football college showcase Tuesday.
“They love it,” Patterson explained. “I thought it was going to be a challenge to be honest with you, but they’re actually embracing it pretty well.
“They’re checking each other, so it’s been more of a player-run team and that’s what we’re looking forward to this year because when players keep each other accountable, that means you’re headed in the right direction.”
Patterson said being a former Poly receiver and CIF-SS champion has helped him build a great rapport with current players.
“Just letting them know what the standard and the expectation are,” Patterson continued. “It’s not too much pressure. As I said, it’s football, and the way we did it was we were structured, we were disciplined, and we’re just going to bring that back here and how it was done in the past.”
Long Beach Poly alum Travon Patterson is excited to be back home as the football program’s head coach.
Coach Patterson said he’s excited about the state of the program heading into his first season. pic.twitter.com/KeYJrbanci
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 13, 2026
Junior Jayden Coley was Poly’s leading receiver last season with 44 receptions for 698 yards and seven touchdown catches. The three-star recruit with six offers from Oregon State, San Diego State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Sacramento State and Delaware State, wants to make a greater impact as a senior.
“I want to be the best player I can be,” Coley said. “I want to lead the team in stats, every stat. Touchdowns, receptions, and I really want a state ring. I want to bring Poly culture back to what it used to be.”
Long Beach Poly junior receiver Jayden Coley stood out as a top recruit at the football program’s college showcase on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Long Beach, CA. (Photo by: John W. Davis, SCNG Contributor)
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Long Beach Poly junior receiver Jayden Coley stood out as a top recruit at the football program’s college showcase on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Long Beach, CA. (Photo by: John W. Davis, SCNG Contributor)
Meanwhile, Coley said Coach Patterson is a great leader.
“He’s turned the program around completely,” Coley explained. “More structure. More militant.”
“We’re getting more disciplined every day,” Coley continued. “Stacking days, he says. 21 days builds a habit. 90 days builds a lifestyle.”
Long Beach Poly 2027 WR Jayden Coley says he’s wants to be the best player he can be as senior.
The 3-star recruit said he has six DI scholarships offers from Oregon State, San Diego State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Sacramento State and Delaware State. pic.twitter.com/eME893X4xz
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 13, 2026
Poly went 5-5 overall last season under former coach Justin Utupo (now the defensive coordinator at Los Alamitos) and withdrew from consideration for the CIF-SS playoffs.
“All these coaches wanted me to play some linebacker,” said Sevelino Taliauli, who recently transferred to Long Beach Poly from Servite. “I wanted to show them that I could drop back and cover some guys.”
Taliauli led Servite’s defense as a defensive end with 40 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks last season. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound athlete has a handful of Division I offers and interest from schools like Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State.
“Right now, I’m taking it slow, trying to see what spot is great for me,” Taliauli continued. “We’ll see from there.”
Long Beach Poly 2027 LB/DE Sevelino Taliauli on transferring from Servite ahead of his senior season.@7Taliauli said he wants to show college coaches he can also play linebacker this season.
He has several DI offers from schools like Fresno State and Colorado State. pic.twitter.com/6zSizUgpZ6
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 13, 2026
Meanwhile, Compton beat Long Beach Poly in a friendly 15-minute 7-on-7 competition. Both teams also played against Baldwin Park and Dorsey, who also attended the showcase.
“7-on-7 is just trying to get good work,” Compton coach Calvin Bryant said. “Poly is a great team, as we know.
“We just want to get good work and just try to execute what we do. Hats off to them for letting us come out and compete. We’re excited about trying to improve. Hopefully, they have a great season also.”
Compton went 4-6 last season. The Tarbabes have departed the Moore League after more than 50 years. They will join the newly formed Hub City League in the fall and compete alongside district rivals Centennial, Compton Early College, and Dominguez.
“The outlook is game-to-game and perform well,” Bryant continued, “and try to make sure we represent this league really well… and give something that people will be proud of in our city.”
Compton football coach Calvin Bryant is excited about his team’s offseason growth heading into the newly formed Hub City League. pic.twitter.com/HaBNz7yy9S
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) May 13, 2026