Moore League media day: New stadiums, new coaches, new aspirations
Alfred Rowe (Long Beach Jordan), Mario Morales (Lakewood), Justin Utupo (Long Beach Poly), Raudric Curtis (Long Beach Wilson) and Malcolm Manuel (Long Beach Cabrillo) all promised to lead their respective programs to success through passion and determination. The two returning coaches, Romeo Pellum (Long Beach Millikan) and Calvin Bryant (Compton), offered similar commitments.
"Just having a new stadium and changing the culture, it's exciting," said Rowe, who went to Long Beach Poly and played for Pete Carroll at USC. "The most important thing is effort. Our goal is nobody is going to outplay us."
Compton has a new stadium and a new $225-million, 31-acre campus. Bryant spent five years having his students attend a former middle school. "Our guys are fired up," Bryant said. "I can't get them to go home."
They love their weight room. They love their classrooms. The team went 3-7 last season but could be one of the most improved. They just added All-City running back Edward Rivera from South East.
Five of the seven head coaches are Black, reinforcing the diversity of the schools they represent. "The coaches and leaders look like their players," Lakewood's Morales said.
Curtis played at Pomona-Pitzer and is a former head coach at Bellflower and was an assistant at Mayfair. "Wilson is not going to be edged out any longer," he vowed. "We're not going to take a back seat any longer."
There were big-time players in attendance, including 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end Jude Nelson of Long Beach Millikan. He's bigger now than his brother, quarterback Malachi Nelson. "I can beat him up a little," he joked.
Poly brought quarterback Deuce Jefferson (Weber State), cornerback Donte Wright Jr. (Georgia), tight end Jaden Hernandez (Colorado State), among others. Lineman Anthony Rodriguez certainly looked like he has spent the offseason in the weight room. He's 6-5, 280 pounds, down 20 pounds from last season. Committed to UC Davis, he said, "I'm way leaner. I'm still chunky but thick."
Wilson has 6-5 quarterback Mack Cooper, a three-year starter. Lakewood turns to three-year starter Tiwan Jones in the secondary.
One of the most intriguing players is 6-4 junior quarterback Sama'Jay Jackson of Jordan. He was an all-league basketball player. He's returning to football for the first time since he gave up the sport in 2020 when the pandemic struck. He's fast, running a 4.6-second 40-yard dash.
Millikan is opening its season next weekend in Nevada playing Foothill in Henderson.
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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