Long Beach Poly’s Donte Wright addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s JuJu Johnson addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Jayden Coley addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Sammy Vai addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Sevelino Taliauli addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Zion Anderson addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Donte Wright, right, and JuJu Johnson face the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly head football coach Travon Patterson addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly head football coach Travon Patterson addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
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Long Beach Poly’s Donte Wright addresses the media on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Millikan High School in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — Long Beach Poly football coach Travon Patterson said his transition to leading his alma mater, which is one of the most storied high school football programs in the nation, has been pretty easy.
“I have a supportive coaching staff who’s been behind me,” said Patterson, a first-year head coach who played receiver at Poly under coach Raul Lara before playing in college at USC and Colorado. “I’ve got the kids bought in to what we’re trying to do here. They come and compete each and every day. They show up and show out each and every day, so the transition has been pretty easy for me.”
However, Poly’s program is at a proverbial crossroads with its third head coach in as many seasons. The Jackrabbits are 11-11 overall since August 2024. They have not won the Moore League since 2023 or a CIF-SS title since 2021.
“We coming to win,” Patterson continued. “That’s it.”
Poly finished last season 5-5, including a forfeit victory against Tustin and lost the de facto Moore League title game to Wilson 22-21 on a two-point conversion. The Jackrabbits withdrew from CIF-SS playoff consideration due to CIF violations.
In 2024, Poly went 6-6 overall and lost to Millikan 53-40 in the de facto Moore League title game.
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)
Five-star senior cornerback Donte Wright, who is committed to Miami, said he doesn’t feel added pressure going into this season because of what happened in 2024 and 2025.
“I feel like we know what we have to do,” Wright said, “and what we have to work on as a culture and as a team. We’re just working day in and day out to get better. Y’all are going to see what we’re on when the season comes.”
Five-star senior cornerback Julius Johnson, who is committed to UCLA, said he is excited to be playing football again after missing his entire junior season due to a lingering lower body injury.
The Jackrabbits open the season at Downey on Friday, Aug. 21. They will also be tested by Yorba Linda, Tustin, Carson, Inglewood and Rancho Cucamonga in nonleague games.
“We’re trying to go 16-0,” Johnson said. “I would say the game I’m most excited for is Downey. It’s on my birthday so you know I have to go crazy.”
Johnson said that while he was sidelined, he was able to envision how he would help his team during his senior year.
“It was a blessing in disguise,” Johnson said. “Of course, I didn’t play, which sucked, but it helped me look at football from a different perspective. I would say it helped my game mentally and definitely helped me physically coming out of the injury. I just went hard on the rehab.”
Long Beach Poly’s Julius ‘Juju’ Johnson (2) heads to the end zone during the Moore League football season opener between Long Beach Poly and Long Beach Jordan at Veterans Stadium, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Poly begins Moore League play against Lakewood at Cabrillo High on Oct. 2, before hosting Wilson (Oct. 10) before playing at Millikan (Oct. 23) and Jordan (Oct. 30).
“Something I want to improve on is a player-led team,” Long Beach Poly junior lineman Sammy Vai said. “A lot of times we play as individuals. Instead of playing as individuals (this season), we play as one team.”
“As a team, we just have to start fast,” junior four-star receiver Zion Anderson added. “A lot of our games (last season) we started off slow, and it took us until the second quarter to get started. I just want to start strong and finish strong.”
Senior receiver Jayden Coley, the team’s leading returning offensive threat, said ultimately, success is about relaying the foundation of Poly’s storied tradition.
“This year, I just want to keep our foot on everybody’s neck,” Coley said. “As seniors, we just have to keep young guys, our freshmen, our sophomores, just ready to go, so when we’re off the field, they can come in next year and keep the tradition going.”
Poly will have a new starting quarterback this season after Deuce Jefferson graduated and signed with Navy. Junior Ace Fa’agata (La Mirada transfer), sophomore Trevor Scott (Mater Dei transfer) and Kingston Stokley (Narbonne transfer) are in the mix for playing time.
“We have a good room of quarterbacks,” Patterson explained. “They are competing at a high level. We’re getting them prepared for Game 1.”