{"id":467063,"date":"2026-09-17T19:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T19:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/467063\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T19:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T19:02:11","slug":"football-previews-long-beach-poly-vs-inglewood-leads-week-4s-top-games-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/467063\/","title":{"rendered":"Football previews: Long Beach Poly vs. Inglewood leads Week 4\u2019s top games \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

Previews and predictions for the top high school football games in the Long Beach area this week. The teams are listed by their ranking in the Press-Telegram Top 10<\/a>.<\/p>\n

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL<\/p>\n

GAME OF THE WEEK<\/p>\n

No. 3 Long Beach Poly (1-3) vs. Inglewood (3-1)<\/p>\n

Where, when: SoFi Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Analysis: Junior quarterback Ace Fa\u2019agata completed 14 of 21 passes for 239 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Long Beach Poly\u2019s 17-14 loss<\/a> to Carson in a nonleague game last week. Senior receiver Jayden Coley had eight receptions for 105 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back Jeron Johnson ran for 71 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Poly will need strong performances from Fa\u2019agata, Coley and Johnson to compete against Inglewood, especially with the emotion the Sentinels will have from playing for the first time<\/a> in their neighborhood NFL stadium.<\/p>\n

Inglewood is coming off a 50-21 victory against Franklin of Elk Grove. Inglewood\u2019s offense is led by junior quarterback Lincoln Jahn, who has completed 73 of 111 passes for 1,170 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. The Sentinels have a balanced offense that includes senior running backs Semaj Welch, who has run for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 56 carries, and Marlon Watson, who has run for 380 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

If Inglewood is able to consistently run the ball, which is something Poly\u2019s defense has struggled to stop, particularly early in games, the Jackrabbits might struggle. However, if they can lock in on limiting penalties and turnovers, Poly will break its three-game losing streak and win the program\u2019s first game at SoFi Stadium since a 49-14 loss to Mission Viejo in 2024.<\/p>\n

Winner: Long Beach Poly<\/p>\n

\"LongLong Beach Poly senior Jayden Coley (3) carries against Yorba Linda in a non-league game at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach on Friday August 28, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)<\/p>\n

Culver City (1-2) vs. No. 4 Warren (4-0)<\/p>\n

Where, when: Warren High, Friday, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Analysis: Culver City is coming off a 65-13 road loss to Bishop Amat. The Centaurs are led by senior quarterback Nicholas Hoang, who has completed 75 of 120 passes for 1,104 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. Culver City\u2019s pass-first offense will look to spread the ball to four receivers: Joel La Foe, Christopher Bludso-Cohen, Kai Dawson and Chaim Rosen.<\/p>\n

Warren is coming off a 41-2 victory against Orange Vista and it appears Culver City will be its toughest nonleague opponent. Senior quarterback Jordan Malikin has completed 64 of 89 passes for 1,073 yards, 17 touchdowns and one interception. A trio of receivers leads the Bears. Senior Julian Padin has 21 receptions for 392 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Dylan Thompson has 16 receptions for 271 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Dallas Watson has 12 receptions for 222 yards and five touchdowns. Warren\u2019s defense is led by junior linebacker Michael Thomas with 36 tackles and senior defensive back Karson Forge with 21 tackles. If Malikin has another big game by throwing for at least 240 yards like he\u2019s done in the last three victories, Warren should remain undefeated.<\/p>\n

Winner: Warren<\/p>\n

Torrance (2-2) vs. No. 7 Lakewood (2-2)<\/p>\n

Where, when: Lakewood High, Friday, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Analysis: Torrance is coming off a 21-19 loss to Cypress, but that doesn\u2019t mean coach Raymond Carter\u2019s team doesn\u2019t have what it takes to win this matchup. Senior quarterback Gibson Turner has completed 74 of 113 passes for 1,075 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Senior receiver Isaac Mora has 27 receptions for 374 yards and two touchdowns. Senior running back Vaughn Reinert has run for 276 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries, so Torrance is a pass-first offense.<\/p>\n

Lakewood is coming off a 24-17 victory<\/a> against crosstown rival Mayfair. The Lancers have had varied success against a tough nonleague schedule with losses to Corona del Mar and Ventura and wins over Paramount and Mayfair. Lakewood is averaging less than 16 points per game, so the team\u2019s defense will have to keep it in the game. However, Torrance\u2019s passing game might prove to be too strong, giving the road team a slight advantage.<\/p>\n

Winner: Torrance<\/p>\n

Dominguez (2-2) vs. Bellflower (2-2)<\/p>\n

Where, when: Bellflower High, Friday, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Analysis: Dominguez is on a two-game losing streak, having dropped consecutive home games to Paramount and Oakland High. The Dons\u2019 success starts with their rushing attack. Senior running back Darrell Frazier has run for 279 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. Senior quarterback Terrell Malone has run for 249 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries. Dominguez, coming off a 38-0 home loss to Oakland, is averaging only 89.3 passing yards per game.<\/p>\n

Bellflower is coming off a 58-7 victory<\/a> over Whittier. Senior quarterback E\u2019Lacion Saxton has completed 68 of 107 passes for 971 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Freshman receiver Keondre Smith<\/a> has a team-high 32 receptions for 505 yards and four touchdowns. Coach Keith Miller\u2019s team is also committed to running the ball and is averaging 139.5 rushing yards per game. If Saxton throws for at least 250 yards and can build on his budding connection with Smith for at least one of his three touchdown passes, Bellflower should improve to 3-2.<\/p>\n

Winner: Bellflower<\/p>\n

\"BellflowerBellflower quarterback Elacion Saxton (5) throws a pass as they play Whittier in their non-league football game at Pioneer High School in Whittier on Thursday September 10, 2026. Bellflower defeated Whittier 58-7. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)<\/p>\n

St. Anthony (0-3) vs. Valley Christian (2-1-1)<\/p>\n

Where, when: Valley Christian High, Friday, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Analysis: The Saints are marching into this contest winless, but that does not mean coach Jeff Magdaleno\u2019s team will not put up a fight. St. Anthony scored a total of 32 points in losses to Canyon Springs, Ontario Christian and St. Margaret\u2019s. Senior lineman Vincente Hernandez and junior safety Miles Anglin have been two of the team\u2019s impact players this season.<\/p>\n

Valley Christian is coming off a 42-29 victory over Ontario Christian. Senior quarterback Graham Lunzer leads the Defenders\u2019 offense. Lunzer has completed 60 of 93 passes for 788 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback has run for 306 yards and six touchdowns on 61 carries. Senior receiver Byron Louis has a team-high 19 receptions for 330 yards and four touchdowns. If Lunzer runs for more than 100 yards, Valley Christian should find enough offensive success to win.<\/p>\n

Winner: Valley Christian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Previews and predictions for the top high school football games in the Long Beach area this week. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,5479,2043,2044,131,133,132,137,127,136],"class_list":["post-467063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-high-school-all-sports","tag-high-school-football","tag-high-school-sports","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-sports","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}