Young quarterbacks are plentiful in Southern California, but don’t count out the seniors
LA TimesShea Kuykendall of Long Beach Poly is a rarity — a quarterback who stayed at his school for four years. He has competition from junior Nicholaus Iamaleava of Downey Warren, sophomore Elijah Brown of Santa Ana Mater Dei, junior Pierce Clarkson of Bellflower St. John Bosco, junior Jaxon Potter of Santa Margarita, junior Kadin Semonza of Mission Viejo, junior Jack Jacobs of La Canada St. Francis, sophomore Bryan Wilson of Chino Hills Ayala and junior Javance Tupouata-Johnson of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. “There’s not many around,” Simi Valley coach Jim Benkert said of a talented quarterback playing four years at one high school. It’s the way it is.” Long Beach Poly has one of those vanishing breeds in senior Shea Kuykendall, a straight-A student who told coach Stephen Barbee when he arrived as a freshman, “I’m going to be your guy for four years — no doubt.” After playing on the freshman-sophomore team his first season, Kuykendall split time with a transfer student as a sophomore. “I get to teach a young guy and coach him up and he’s going to have the next two years at Poly.” In recent years, coaches have tried to keep quarterbacks happy by alternating series.
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