This is what a tenth week is supposed to look like: a title tilt at Wilson, a playoff play-in game in Compton, the St. Anthony Saints putting their playoff hopes on the line…it doesn’t get better than this on a Friday night in Long Beach.
The Moore League Title Bout: Lakewood @ Wilson, 7pm
So it all comes down to this. The Moore League title is on the line as the Lancers and Bruins renew their newfound rivalry. Anything can happen…
Lakewood Offense vs. Wilson Defense
This is the key match up. The Lancers have made a habit of just outscoring their opponents with big plays and a deceptively effective running attack. Ally Long, Rashad Wadood and Terrance Woods have all carried the ball this year, but the return of Woods has the Bruin defense worried. He showed what he had to offer in the season opener against Crenshaw (1:45 of video) but an injury limited him for most of the year. He returned to the backfield last week to the tune of three touchdowns. If Woods, Wadood or Long are chewing up yards, Wilson doesn’t really stand a chance. So, they will try to stack the line and stop the run, ultimately, making quarterback Jesse Scroggins beat them. Yes, the USC-bound quarterback with 1,700 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. The Bruin defense has playmakers in the secondary with Ezell Ruffin and Phillip Wilson, but without some turnovers they might struggle to slow down the Lancers.
Wilson Offense vs. Lakewood Defense
Led by sophomore quarterback Brett Harper, the Bruin attack has shown many faces. Against La Serna, he completed 57% of his passes and had three touchdowns. A month later, the Bruins racked up 200+ yards rushing on their way to stomping Compton, 37-16. All told, Wilson could do anything on Friday night, including a bevy of “gadget” or “trick” plays they’ve featured over the last few years. They will try to get something going against a Lakewood defense that has only allowed 29 points in league play. Keanu Kalolo, Todd Barr and Rahim Cassell led the talented unit with 68, 56 and 52 tackles respectively, but the key will be Justin Utupo. The senior, who is headed to Norte Dame, has made a habit of showing up for big games. Case and point: the Poly game. Ruffin made a living getting around the corner in the Moore League so far, but that will be a tall task against the Lancers.
What does all that mean? The Bruins know that it would be an “upset” if they could hand the Lancers their first loss league, but he Lancers know they will get Wilson’s best shot. Here’s a fearless prediction for you… he who wins the turnover battle, wins the Moore League and a #1 seed in the CIF bracket.
The Playoff Game: Poly @ Compton, 7pm
Poly coach Raul Lara said it perfectly: “Whoever wins gets to keep playing.” If Poly wins, they’re the league’s two or three-seed (two if Wilson loses to Lakewood, three if they win); if Compton wins, they clinch the three-seed. No matter what else happens, whoever loses, goes home.
Poly Offense vs. Compton Defense
The Jackrabbits, simply put, are going to need to score in this game to win—their offense has been somewhat anemic at times. When it hasn’t been, it’s been prolific—they moved the ball with ease against Wilson and Jordan, but struggled mightily against Cabrillo. It seems to run through the passing game—when Poly’s able to stretch the field, they can run with any team in the Southern Section (they certainly have enough backs with enough ability). If they struggle to throw (as they did against the Jags, starting 0/14), then it’ll be easy for Compton to stack the box and make Poly one-dimensional. If they can get some yardage downfield, they should be able to control the clock, and the field.
“We have to fix the little things that ultimately kill us,” Lara says, referencing his team’s three-game streak of having 100+ yards of penalties. “We’re treating this as a playoff game, absolutely.”
Compton Offense vs. Poly Defense
If you’re looking at the Tarbabes’ league schedule this year, you might wonder—what happened? After two big losses to Wilson and Jordan, they rebounded in a big way against Millikan last week, winning by three TDs. Coach Calvin Bryant says much of that is due to their new quarterback, Chris Jones. “Our starting QB broke his thumb earlier in the year—and Chris made the sacrifice recently to take over at QB. It’s been a big boost.” The right maestro is needed in Compton’s offense, because of its complex timing and switches.
“We have the runners and the blockers,” says Bryant. “We just needed the guy to get the ball in the right hands.” Bryant also says the most important thing for his team is to not get too hyped up this year. Compton has a habit of getting so pumped up for the Poly game that it can exhaust them a little.
Lara brings it back to the fundamentals: “The most important thing is to control that line of scrimmage. If they push us off it won’t matter who the running back is.”
St. Anthony vs. Bellermine-Jefferson, Clark Field @ 7pm
The Saints and Guards, both 5-4, 1-2 in league, are playing for a playoff spot, and it’s no secret.
“We’ve been telling the team that all week,” said St. Anthony coach Brian Walsh. “We know what they’re going to do, it’s up to us to step up.”
What Bell Jeff is going to do is run the ball. The Guards love to pound the rock out of their double wing set as Abdo Hajj, Micah Shirley and Alex Davidians are averaging 6, 13 and 5 yards-per-carry this year, respectively.
The Pride Bowl: Cabrillo @ Jordan, 7pm
These two teams are playing for nothing but pride right now: Jordan started the year as a CIF top ten but are just 2-7; Cabrillo is 0-9 and still looking for their first win of the last two years. “This is kind of like our Super Bowl,” admitted Jags coach A.J. Luke. “We’re going to go to J-Town and try to get it done.”
They’ll face a hungry Panthers team that desperately wants to defend its home turf in the final week of a tumultuous season that’s been filled with freak injuries and bad luck. It’s likely that Jordan will try to establish a strong running game against the Jags, while Cabrillo will likely air it out a little against Jordan, since their receivers have a size advantage over the Panthers’ secondary.