There was some concern among Jackrabbits fans that Poly would come out rusty on Friday night, playing their first game in this time zone after they got their first victory three weeks ago in Florida, against defending national champions Miami-Northwestern.  A dominant defense and an unstoppable running game—Jackrabbits staples—put those fears to rest early, as Poly cruised to an easy 26-2 victory over the Newport Harbor High Sailors. 

The defense turned the most heads, allowing a grand total of zero points.  That’s right, Poly’s punt team put more points on the board for Newport than its defense did, after a long snap sailed over the punter’s head and out of the back of the end zone.  The ‘Rabbits posted two interceptions, three sacks, and one season-bolstering goal line stand, allowing barely over a hundred yards of total offense.  The effort was led by some key returners from last year’s squad, MLB George Daily-Lyles—a prototypical ‘backer that directs his team from the center of things, can fly around and hit, and always seems to find himself around the ball—and defensive end Iuta Tepa, who batted down three passes and had the Sailors running to the opposite side of the field on nearly every play.

Coming into the game, Poly Coach Raul Lara and his staff had been concerned about Newport’s star receiver, JB Geen, a senior who posted four scores in Newport’s last game.  Friday, against the Poly Wall, Green had just four catches for 27 yards, and never crossed the goal line.  He wasn’t the only frustrated Sailor on the Newport sideline, though—down 20-0 in the second quarter, Newport QB Andrew McDonald completed his longest pass of the evening, a 23-yard strike that gave his team the ball 1^st and Goal on the Poly five yard line.  The following series reminded me of the Poly goal line stand against O. Lu in the CIF semis last year, or the stand they had against Miami-Northwestern three weeks ago.  Since they’d been ineffective running the ball, the Sailors tried to throw, thrice—the first time McDonald failed to connect with Green in the corner.  The second he had Cecil Whiteside in perfect position to make the catch, but Whiteside was blindsided by two Poly DBs, who knocked the ball away and crushed the receiver.  Then he completed a dumpoff to Green, who was spun sideways literally inches short of the goal line, setting up a dramatic and inevitable 4^th and short.  The attempted QB sneak is in our highlight video, so you can see for yourself—it was no contest.

That was the only time the Sailors threatened all game.  Between the defense and the effectiveness of Poly’s running game, they didn’t have many opportunities.  Melvin Richardson continued to shine, with 14 carries for 166 yards and two TDs, with a per-carry average of nearly twelve yards.  He said afterwards that it was the home atmosphere that motivated him, with his friends and family in attendance.  “I just wanted to give a nice show to the people in the stands.”  Daveon Barber, a smaller, more slippery back, did a good job spelling Richardson, with 18 carries for 80 yards and a score.  All told, the ‘Rabbits ran for 215 yards, and averaged five yards a carry as a team.  They ran the ball well in their first game, too, but only completed one pass—starting QB Morgan Fennell looked much better tonight, finishing the first half 4/8 for 69 yards, including a pretty 37-yard scoring pass that kept the D nice and stretched for Richardson and Barber.  He tweaked his ankle on a play where he was sacked towards the end of the first half, so, with the win in hand, Coach Lara turned to his bread and butter, and ran it down Newport’s throat all second half, only throwing twice.

But while his running backs pace the offense, it’s his defense that sets the tempo for the entire team.  “Our defense is very aggressive,” he told me after the game.  “I don’t even like practicing against our defense—they kick our butt.  I literally have to separate them from the offense.”