Long Beach Poly Makes a Statement in Travon Patterson's Debut

The Jackrabbits held Downey to seven points, contained star receiver Damani Porras and delivered their new head coach his first victory.

Long Beach Poly DB Donte Wright lines up to defend Poly wide receiver Damani Porras. | Dame Lester

Long Beach Poly couldn't have scripted a much better beginning to the Travon Patterson era.

The Jackrabbits' defense overwhelmed Downey on Friday night, creating turnovers, limiting star receiver Damani Porras and producing an unusual defensive touchdown in a 24-7 season-opening victory.

Poly's offense took longer to find its rhythm, but explosive plays from Zion Anderson and Jayden Coley helped provide more than enough support for a defense that controlled much of the night.

Poly's Defense Delivers an Unusual First Touchdown

Poly opened the scoring in one of the most unusual ways of the night.

Cagnolatti intercepted a Downey pass and began returning it up the field. During the return, Cagnolatti lost control of the football, but instead of the play ending there, Poly’s Sammy Timu alertly caught the loose ball out of the air and took it into the end zone for a touchdown.

It was an early dose of the energy that Poly’s defense would bring throughout the night.

Zion Anderson, Jayden Coley Spark the Offense

The offense gradually picked up steam as the game progressed.

Zion Anderson provided one of the game’s biggest offensive plays when he caught a short pass and immediately turned it into a big gain, zooming past Downey defenders for a touchdown. Anderson’s ability to create yards after the catch was on full display.

Walking back toward the Poly sideline after the touchdown, Anderson turned toward High School On SI and confidently yelled, "They can't guard me."

Zion Anderson takes off towards the edge for a touchdown run for Long Beach Poly. | Dame Lester

Jayden Coley added another touchdown on what appeared to be a simple 10-yard slant inside. Coley also had a kickoff return for a touchdown, but the play was wiped away by a holding penalty.

Poly kicker Jonas Mendoza later added to the lead with a 40-yard field goal.

The Jackrabbits’ offense appeared to start slowly before improving with each possession. One possible factor was the early departure of running back Steven “Buddha” Hunter and was being evaluated for a concussion.

Long Beach Poly's Jayden Coley hauls in a catch near the goal line and scores a touchdown for the Jackrabbits. | Dame Lester

Poly Defense Starts Fast

While Poly’s offense took time to find its footing, the defense was another story.

The Jackrabbits flew around the field all night, delivering big hits, making stops and consistently getting to the football.

One of their biggest assignments was containing Downey star wide receiver Damani Porras, who was held to only a handful of catches and fewer than 50 yards.

Secondary Contains Damani Porras

Five-star defensive back Donte Wright credited the entire Poly secondary for making life difficult for Porras.

“All of us got PBUs (pass break ups) against him. I got a PBU, Juju got one, Zion got one, even the young guys got one,” Wright said.

Porras did manage to find the end zone for Downey, making an impressive diving catch in the end zone for the Vikings’ only touchdown of the night.

Downey’s defense deserves credit as well. The Vikings continued to battle and showed flashes of what made them a difficult matchup.

They played an aggressive, well-coached style, with defenders consistently flying toward the football and doing everything they could to swarm the ball carrier.

But on this night, Poly’s defense proved to be the difference.

Travon Patterson Earns His First Win

After the game, Patterson told High School On SI that earning his first victory felt good, but immediately made clear that one win wasn't the goal.

Long Beach Poly new head coach Travon Patterson gives a victory speech to his team. | Dame Lester

His response was short and confident:

“It felt really good, but we aren’t done yet.”

That may have been the biggest takeaway from the night. Poly earned its first win under Patterson, but the Jackrabbits clearly aren’t satisfied with one victory.

If the defense continues to play with the same energy and the offense continues to improve, Poly could be a team worth watching as the season moves forward.