Dabness Atkins' story highlights the high-stakes drama that playing for Poly creates. He is a star player and a team captain. His intensity on the field is matched only by his academic accomplishments. Ivy League schools including Harvard and Cornell as well as the Air Force Academy court him throughout the season. However, his clean cut image masks a more turbulent home life.

He lives with Starr Scott, the Poly team manager. His father passed from cancer and his mother is remarried. His pursuit of perfection can lead to friction with other players as he expects the same of his teammates. For Atkins this is it - his senior year will determine if he gets out of Long Beach and if he will achieve his lifelong goal of going to an Ivy League school.