A new dawn is upon us. Poly’s football team is trying to rewrite its destiny after massive changes to the program. After 30 years of 11-man, coaching changes and a major decrease in program size forced the Panthers to transition to 8-man football.
For years, Poly struggled to find success in the 11-man format. Schools like La Cañada and South Pasadena, more than triple Poly’s student body size, have been able to dominate in a sport where strength often comes in numbers. In the last three seasons, Poly has won only eight out of their 29 games, resulting in a concerning win rate of 27%. After transitioning to eight-man, they have a record of 2-3.
In Poly’s Sep. 6 game, the Panthers were dominated by Flintridge Prep, resulting in a 0-41 loss. This opening game was a wake-up call for the team, highlighting their lack of size and experience.
The Panthers’ performance has been inconsistent this year. With varying levels of competition, they’ve had a rough introduction to the more skillful and larger teams.
Despite this rocky start, senior captain and receiver Connor Mallinger remains positive, stating, “The team’s biggest strength is our work ethic, as we continuously push each other to our maximum efforts every day.” Even if their record doesn’t show it yet, the team is steadily improving.
Senior linebacker and captain Eli Axel said, “We have strength man-to-man. I would take any 8 of our starting guys over any other team.”
Because of their small numbers, however, the team mainly focuses on combating stronger, bigger teams through persistent grit and drive. A small roster puts a responsibility on all 15 players, pushing less experienced underclassmen right into the fire.
“I think our biggest weakness is our lack of depth. We have those 8 starters, and that’s about it,” noted Axel.
Bouncing back from their tough loss to Flintridge, the Panthers beat Francis Parker 52-22 on Sep. 13. They then extended their winning streak with a decisive 51-0 win against New Design Watts on Sep. 27.
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to keep this streak alive, as they suffered back-to-back losses to Chadwick and Hillcrest on Oct. 4 and 10, respectively.
Looking into the future, Head Coach Scott Bello shared, “In ten years, I see Poly Football as one of the premier small-school programs in Southern California, known for developing multi-sport athletes, building leaders, and playing the game the right way. The goal is to have a program that younger kids on campus dream about being a part of and that the community rallies behind every Fall.”
With this future-forward approach in mind, it appears that Poly football is poised to redefine itself through a combination of senior leadership, underclassman participation, and passionate coaches who share a common goal: improvement. The future is bright, and the Poly community is eagerly awaiting Poly football to take the jump to the greatness Bello has promised.
