So, what will the Jackrabbit offense be looking at on Saturday night at Angel Stadium in the CIF-SS Championship game?  The short answer, again, is a lot.

The Tesoro Titans defense (who give up 13 points per game) has shown every defensive look from the 3-5 to the 5-3 this season.  Against Poly on Saturday, it’ll be mostly 5-3, but it’ll be unlike most 5-3’s the Jackrabbits have seen.  The Titans work a gap control defensive scheme by literally filling the gaps almost simultaneously with the opponent’s snap.  It’s like a Pittsburgh Steelers third-down blitz on almost every play. 

It does take the Titans a series or two to get the quarterback’s cadence down, but when the linebackers come flying up to the line of scrimmage, don’t think they’re blitzing, because that’s just what they do.  They fill the hole on every down, and they do it pretty damn well.  A fast start will be even more critical for Poly, to try and strike before the Titans D can get comfortable.

Here’s who the Jackrabbits will need to beat on Saturday, both mentally and physically:

Defensive Line: #58 Matt Longo

The senior in the middle is 5’8” 230lbs of playmaker.  The kid has a crazy ability to anticipate the play, and is always around the ball.  He can pressure the quarterback with the best of them, but his brute run stopping strength will be Poly’s biggest concern on Saturday night.  Don’t be surprised if the Jackrabbits run straight at #58, in order to neutralize him and keep his playmaking ability away from the backside.

Linebackers: #5 Scott Graves

As the leader and play-caller on the aggressive Titans defense, Graves has racked up a team-high 124 total tackles and 8.5 sacks this season.  In the multiple-look Tesoro scheme, it’s up to Graves to make the calls and keep his teammates on assignment.  But once the ball is snapped, the 5’11” 210lb senior is the ball hawk you’d expect him to be. He’s averaging 10 tackles in the three playoff games this season and will look to do that and more if the Jackrabbits run the ball as much as we expect.

Defensive Backfield: #9 Preston King

Yes, that Preston King, from yesterday’s offensive scouting report.  But remember what we said about the 5’10” 175lb King: once you underestimate him, he’ll burn you.  This season he’s burned the Tesoro opponents for 58 total tackles and a team-high 9 interceptions.  His interception of last year’s Gatorade Player of the Year Matt Barkley in the playoff game against Mater Dei was just the latest example of King’s playmaking ability.  He’s the closest thing the Titans have to a shutdown corner, but that’s not going to be the key on Saturday.

The Tesoro secondary is good, but not nearly as fast as the Poly receivers.  So, it’s going to be more important for King and his teammates to work together, in zone and man, than what they can do individually. 

Physicality could very well be a determining factor, as with Tesoro’s defense—Melvin Richardson has been effective at loosening up opposing D’s so far this year, and Poly will need him to be effective in this game as well.