Jackrabbits take inaugural Moore League flag crown
LONG BEACH » When the Poly girls football team began its inaugural season in August, the Jackrabbits were not shy about their desire to etch their names in the history books by winning the first-ever Moore League flag football title.
Less than three months later, Poly (11-1, 9-0) clinched the Moore League championship with a dominant 28-0 win at home against second-place Jordan (9-4, 7-2) on Tuesday.
The Jackrabbits were led by junior quarterback Aaya McLyn's four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) and a dominant defense led by senior Cheyanne Clark and junior Leah Salas, who each hauled in a game-changing interception. Both turnovers were costly for Jordan, as the Panthers were within striking distance of the end zone.
“It means a lot to me,” McLyn said, “especially with how far we've come from this not being a sport for girls and us showing everybody that we can do what the boys do.”
The game began with Jordan senior quarterback Katelyn Garcia connecting on a nearly 40-yard pass to junior receiver Jimena Cervantes to the Poly 4-yard line. The Panthers had the early momentum and their best scoring chance of the game but a penalty and Poly's staunch defense forced a turnover on downs.
Meanwhile, McLyn completed a 30-yard pass to sophomore receiver Janelle Morris, before throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to sophomore running back Neela Bagley. Poly led 7-0 early in the first half.
McLyn added a rushing touchdown and the Jackrabbits led 13-0 with 2:53 left in the first.
Jordan coach AJ Luke called a timeout with 1:02 remaining in the first as the team looked for a way to make a comeback. However, Jordan's Garcia threw an interception to Clark with 23.1 to go before halftime.
Poly led 13-0 at halftime. McLyn threw another 30-yard pass to Morris to begin the second half. A few plays later, McLyn weaved her way through multiple defenders to score her second rushing touchdown of the game. Poly led 20-0 with 18:30 to go.
McLyn threw another touchdown pass, this time to freshman receiver Dominque Wheeler, and a subsequent 2-point conversion to
Wheeler put the Jackrabbits ahead 28-0 with 13:30 to go.
Jordan's defense forced a turnover on downs with 7:35 to go. Garcia led the Panthers down the field but Salas intercepted her throw in the end zone to preserve her team's shutout performance with 4:30 to go.
Jordan junior Micah Lemons capitalized on McLyn's errant throw, hauling in the Panthers' lone interception with less than 30 seconds to go.
The historic victory means this year's roster will forever be the flag football program's first championship team. That's something Poly coach Rob Shock will forever cherish.
“Just blessed to be a part of this and make this history here at Long Beach Poly,” Shock said. “This place is all about history and tradition and for me to be able to follow in that legacy is just a blessing.”
McLyn said she feels like a trailblazer for future generations of flag football players.
“I feel like I'm paving the way for people that are younger than my team and it's giving them a nice role model so they can strive to be who they want to be,” McLyn explained.