Poly, Wilson Meet Again Friday : Record Gives Jackrabbits Edge

Jerry Jaso, the first-year co-head coach at Poly High School, calls it “a whale of a football game,” and perhaps that speaks for a lot of longtime Long Beach residents who remember what it’s like at the annual meeting between Poly and Wilson High.

The 53rd renewal of the intracity rivalry will be Friday night at 7:30 at Veterans Stadium.

For Jaso, the game has special meaning. A 1968 graduate of Poly, he played on teams that suffered back-to-back losses (in 1966 and ‘67) to Wilson.

“It means less to me from the standpoint that I lost to them (Wilson) several years ago,” he said. He added that the real meaning of the series centered around his feelings for Wilson Coach Al Taylor, who was the defensive coordinator at Poly when Jaso was first hired there.

“I learned a lot from Al,” he said.

After losing the series lead in the early ‘70s, Poly has rebounded and now leads, 28-21-3. Wilson (4-2 overall and 0-2 in the Moore League) has not beaten Poly since 1976 and will have a hard time doing it this time.

The Jackrabbits (6-0, 2-0) are top ranked in the Big Five Conference and have shut out their last three opponents. Under Jaso, the Poly defense has not allowed a touchdown this year; all 13 points scored by opponents came on offensive turnovers.

After a 4-0 start, their best since 1966, the Bruins stumbled into league play, scoring a total of nine points in losses to Millikan and Jordan. If Wilson wants to make the playoffs, it must begin by upsetting Poly.