Video by JJ Fiddler and Shar Higa
One of Long Beach’s pastimes is taking part in one of its greatest annual traditions: the Lakewood vs. Poly hype. I’ve heard some claim that Poly’s epic Moore League win streak (which after tonight stands at 74 wins over 14 years) is bad for Long Beach sports; tonight proved why that’s not true. Why? Because the excitement and passion at any Lancers/Jackrabbits game is unparalleled in the city, and it all stems from the buildup, from the question, “Is this the year?” And despite the fact that this year hasn’t been the year in over 20 years, the rivalry remains undiminished. The fact is, every time the two teams meet, Poly finds a way to get it done: tonight, it was their defense.
Lakewood struggled to move the ball throughout, as Poly’s imposing defensive line hurried Lancer QB Jesse Scroggins, knocked down four of his passes, and laid a pair of brutal hits on him; Scroggins, a promising quarterback in the Moore League, finished the night just 16 for 36 attempts, for 203 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. If you’ve been following Lancers football, you might think that 36 attempts is a bit high for Scroggins—it is. He’s averaging just under 24 throws a game, which means tonight saw his workload increased by over 50%. The entire framework of the Lancers offense was shifted; over its first four games, Lakewood had thrown the ball 95 times and run it 115. Against Poly, they ran it 19 times and threw it 36.
The reason for the adjustment (aside from the fact that the Lancers haven’t played from behind much) is the absence of star running back Jerry Stone, which we’ve discussed this week. They also lost backup running back Alley Long, a shifty sophomore, to a broken shoulder in practice on Tuesday. That meant that tonight, against one of the nation’s most dominant defenses, Lakewood played Octavius Tate and Eric Hayes at running back. Both are converted receivers/DBs, who had three carries between them going into the game. In the game against Poly, they combined for 15 yards on 16 rushes. Lakewood coach Thadd MacNeal said afterward, “Our offense sputtered a bit. We didn’t take advantage of some opportunities, and we’ve just got to execute better.”
And give credit to the stifling Jackrabbits defense, who have allowed three touchdowns in four games on the season (including the two tonight). Led by defensive end Iuta Tepa (with five tackles) and middle backer George Daily-Lyles (four tackles, two of them for losses), the ‘Rabbits locked down in the first half, allowing just under 70 yards. The fact that 12 of Poly’s tackles came from its starting four D-Lineman is a good indication of how far upfield Lakewood was getting.
But Lakewood’s offensive adjustments and Poly’s defense were both expected. What wasn’t expected was that Poly would come out…throwing?! Poly has been notoriously anemic in the passing game this season, a problem they turned into a strength against Lakewood. A play-action fake is incredibly effective when your quarterback has thrown for under 100 yards on the season. Lakewood’s defense, known for its swarming style of play, was biting too hard on ‘Rabbits QB Morgan Fennell’s fakes, and as a result he was 6/9 for 99 yards and a touchdown in the first half, more than doubling his stats on the year. The running game was there too, of course, especially when Fennell cooled off in the second half; Melvin Richardson had 14 carries for 94 yards, and Daveon Barner had the best night of his career, with 8 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and a 36-yard scoring catch as well.
The game was interesting, though there were few moments of competitive tension. Poly went up 8-0 just over a minute into the game, and given that their defense had given up 7 points on the season so far…yeah. But after Poly took a commanding 25-0 lead into halftime, they came out a little too relaxed, and Lakewood took advantage, as Scroggins threw two TDs to narrow the score to 25-15 early in the fourth. But then Barner ripped off an 80-yard touchdown, putting Poly up 32-15 and effectively ending the game with 10 minutes left on the clock. It was a lesson in Poly strategy: pound the ball until you break a big one, and use your defense to outmuscle the opponent. Poly coach Raul Lara liked his defense’s intensity, but felt the offense didn’t pull their weight in the second half. “Our offense is not helping our defense,” he said. “We’ve got to let them get off the field. Even when we scored, it was on one big play and the D was right back out again.”
‘Rabbits defensive coordinator said he thought the game was, “A wake up call to our kids that we can’t take anyone lightly second half. I’m glad we’re learning it early, and that we still got the win—we’ll get back on track next week.”
Next week means St. Bonaventure at Vet’s, as the ‘Rabbits will take on perhaps their strongest opponent of the season, as Bonny is nationally ranked. That game should be more competitive than the contest tonight against the Lancers. But the stories, the buildup, the hype? No way.