LONG BEACH — The new high school football season begins with Week 0 games on Aug. 20-21, and it is time to take a look at the top five storylines to follow.
1. Will Long Beach Poly win the Moore League?
The Long Beach Poly football program went 5-5 last season and did not win the Moore League title for the second consecutive season. There’s been another major coaching change and renewed hope with alum Travon Patterson taking over for Justin Utupo, who only lasted one season with the Jackrabbits. Utupo, who is now the defensive coordinator at Los Alamitos, resigned in November 2025 after an internal investigation caused the program to withdraw from CIF-Southern Section playoff consideration due to CIF eligibility rules.
Coach Patterson, who graduated from Poly in 2006 and played for now Mater Dei coach Raul Lara, is the program’s third head coach since December 2024, when Stephen Barbee, who is now the head coach at Northwood High, resigned after seven seasons.
Talent has never been the program’s primary issue. However, Millikan won the league title in 2024. Wilson won in 2025. In both de facto league title games, Poly led in the fourth quarter but could not muster up the necessary defensive execution to hold on to one-score leads.
This year’s Poly team is led by two five-star recruits in seniors Donte Wright Jr., who is committed to Miami, and Julius Johnson, who is committed to UCLA. Both have made their names as national-level recruits as starting defensive backs since they were freshman.
However, Poly offensive coordinator Kevin Peason, a former head coach at Warren High when now UCLA quarterbacks Nico Iamaleava and Madden Iamaleava played, will need to deploy Wright and Johnson in a receiving corps along with four-star junior Zion Anderson and three-star Jayden Coley to reach the team’s potential.
Long Beach Poly’s Jayden Coley (3) tries to get away from Wilson’s Dylan Sula (33), Luis Castro (44), and Cahmarr Davis (8) in Long Beach, CA, on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
The Moore League season will be condensed from six games to four after the departure of Cabrillo and Compton for the newly formed Hub City League.
Poly will be tested by Wilson (Oct. 10) and Millikan (Oct. 23) and will open and close the league season against Lakewood (Oct. 2) and Jordan (Oct. 30).
The Jackrabbits always have the talent, but the Coach Patterson-era will be defined not only by whether he wins but also by his disciplined, player-led leadership philosophy influenced by his time as a receiver at USC under Pete Carroll.
Poly will kick off the season at Downey on Aug. 21, one of the most successful programs in the area over the past few seasons, winning a CIF-SS title in 2022.
2. Will St. John Bosco win the mythical high school football national championship?
The Braves have not won the mythical national championship since 2022, nor have they beaten Mater Dei since 2023, but this year’s schedule has the potential to leave no doubt about who is the best high school football team in America.
Bosco is currently the No. 1-ranked team in the nation according to MaxPreps preseason rankings.
Bosco’s regular season schedule features games against No. 2-ranked Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, No. 6-ranked Santa Margarita and No. 9-ranked Mater Dei.
Even with nonleague and Trinity League success, Bosco may end up playing No. 8-ranked Corona Centennial and No. 17-ranked Sierra Canyon in the CIF-SS playoffs. They could also play rematches against Santa Margarita or Mater Dei in the postseason.
That’s the type of schedule, even with one regular season loss, unless it comes to an undefeated Bishop Gorman team, that will keep Coach Jason Negro’s team in play to win the program’s fourth national championship since 2013.
3. Will Downey win a third consecutive undefeated Gateway League title?
Senior receiver Damani Porras is the reigning Gateway League MVP after a stellar junior season as the league’s top two-way player. Porras has recorded consecutive seasons with 1000-plus receiving yards and at least 15 touchdowns. He was also his team’s best defensive back with six interceptions last season.
Damani Porras #4 of Downey runs for a touchdown against Jeromy Powell #9 of Mayfair in the first half of a prep football game at Downey High School in Downey on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
Downey, which is led by head coach Jack Williams, will need to replace standout quarterback Oscar Rios, who graduated early and is playing Power 4 college football at Arizona.
The Vikings will be tested in nonleague play by Long Beach Poly, Capistrano Valley, Millikan, Los Alamitos and Inglewood, which, even with a loss or two, should set them up nicely to run the league table against Mayfair, Warren, La Mirada, Cerritos and La Serna.
4. Who will win the newly formed Hub City League?
The inaugural Hub City League, formed by the Compton Unified School District and the Long Beach Unified School District, features Cabrillo, Centennial, Compton, Compton Early College and Dominguez.
Early projections have Compton and Dominguez vying for the league title with Cabrillo, Centennial and Compton Early College as outside contenders.
Compton has the experience from being competitive in the Moore League and the advantage of a new school, which opened in 2025.
Dominguez was in the Gateway League, alongside rivals like Downey, Mayfair, La Mirada and Warren, before coming home to primarily play district rivals in the Hub City League.
Tarbabes coach Calvin Bryant is the league’s most tenured leader with more than 20 years of experience. That, combined with a three-star Sacramento State commit in senior running back/receiver/defensive back Edward Rivera, could help Compton run away with the football program’s first league title since 1979.
Compton head football coach Calvin Bryant speaks at a Moore League media day press conference on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, hosted by Jordan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
5. Who is the best coach in the Moore League?
We will begin and end this thought exercise with the Moore League, the Press-Telegram area’s signature league for high school football since the 1950s.
The five contenders are Wilson coach Raudric Curtis, Millikan coach Romeo Pellum, Lakewood coach Mario Morales, Poly coach Travon Patterson and Jordan coach Rashaad Penny.
Curtis and Pellum have both won a Moore League title. Head-to-head, Curtis’ team dominated with a 30-7 victory in 2025. That’s the latest and only game between the two coaches to objectively judge.
Morales’ squad suffered a 23-0 loss to Wilson last season but did beat Millikan 3-0 the week before, so as of late, he’s on par with Pellum. Morales also has lengthy experience as St. Anthony’s and Wilson’s head coach, but he did not win a league title with the Bruins.
Meanwhile, Patterson and Penny are wildcards as first-year coaches.
Penny’s NFL pedigree is intriguing, but Patterson’s program is far more established than Penny’s, who is taking over for coach Alfred Rowe, who lasted one season at Jordan.
The preseason edge should go to Curtis, whose program is the reigning Moore League champion, but that doesn’t mean the Bruins are a shoo-in to win the league title.
This year’s Moore League Coach of the Year designation will be settled on the field in October.
Wilson head coach Raudric Curtis oversees a spring football showcase on Friday, May 1, 2026, at Wilson High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)