Call them the cardiac kids.  Call them the comeback crew, or slow starters, or fun to watch.  Call them whatever you want, just be sure to mention that the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits are the 2008 CIF champions, after pulling out a thrilling come-from-behind 20-17 victory over the Tesoro Titans.  The Jackrabbits are now back-to-back champions, and are basically guaranteed a spot in next week’s state championships (for more on which game they’ll be in, click here). 

The first quarter was all defense, with a total of less than 40 yards gained between both teams—Poly couldn’t protect starting QB Morgan Fennell at all (he was sacked twice on the opening three-and-out), nor could they consistently open holes for the running backs, who were a combined 10 for 24 yards.  Tesoro didn’t fare much better, with zero rushing yards.  Neither team got much going in the second, but the Titans gained an edge thanks to their punt returner/wide receiver/running back/cornerback/occasional quarterback Preston King.  Poly punter Alan Roniss, in for the injured David Skara, was averaging nearly 40 yards per-punt, but King had 153 return yards in the game, displaying an elusiveness that Poly’s coverage teams couldn’t answer. 

The Titans’ first three drives started on the Poly 26, 37, and 38—on the third, the bend-but-don’t-break Poly defense broke, as fullback Isaac Tago took a one-yard plunge into the end zone, lifting the Titans to a 7-0 lead with almost nine minutes left in the first half.  For the Poly offense, the only real positives in that half were the fact that nobody had gotten hurt, and they hadn’t turned the ball over.  Beyond that, it was almost universally bad news, with the ‘Rabbits mustering no points, and just 44 yards of total offense.  Despite that fact, and the fact that they ran 13 plays less than the Titans, they did manage to keep their defense off the field by possessing the ball for thirty seconds longer than Tesoro.  Yet, at halftime, with the offense sputtering and the defense barely able to compensate, the Poly sideline looked confident—like they had the Titans right where they wanted them.

So far this season, the second half has belonged to Poly—last week’s win over Lakewood is a perfect example.  The Lancers led 10-0 at halftime, and Poly ended up scoring 20 unanswered and winning 20-10.  Sure enough, on their first drive of the second half, they drove 66 yards in 6:24, aided by a huge third-down scramble from Fennell, and a great run by Cory Westbrook—that set up a 22-yard touchdown run by Melvin Richardson, who at that point had 8 carries for 47 yards, the only substantial gainer for the ‘Rabbits.  With the score at 7-7, it seemed like Poly was going to win in their usual fashion—but a 51-yard touchdown pass from Tesoro QB Robbie Pecazo, lifting the Titans back to 14-7 just two minutes later.  Poly’s next possession stalled as Daveon “Burner” Barner failed to find the success against the Titans that Richardson had—when Tesoro drove and kicked a field goal, opening a 17-7 lead with 9:40 left in the game, things looked grim.

“But we never give up,” said Poly coach Raul Lara after the game.  “We never give up.”

The offense battled back into it, ultimately reaching a 4^th-and-5 on the Tesoro 24.  Not only did Lara not punt, or attempt a field goal, not only did he go for it—he went for it all.  And they got it, as Fennell hooked up with Damon Smith for a stunning 24-yard TD that saw Smith slide across the dirt of Angel Stadium like an expert baserunner.  Somehow, he came up with the catch, and kept Poly in the game.  When the Roniss XP was blocked, the score was 17-13 with less than seven minutes left.  Then Poly’s defense clamped down, and gave the ball back to their offense. 

Three plays into the drive, Melvin “Boom Boom” Richardson demolished one would-be tackler, eluded another, and bounced it outside to the right, missing the sideline by about an inch.  “I thought I might have been out,” he said.  “I was praying I stayed in.”  He did, and 61 yards of sprinting later, he was in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, giving Poly a 20-17 lead with 2:56 left.  The defense clamped even harder, stopping the Tesoro desperation drive with ease.  The game was virtually over when Iuta Tepa spun inside and knocked Picazo on 4^th-down. 

After the clock ticked out, pandemonium broke loose, as Poly won its 18^th CIF championship.  Not enough can be said about Melvin Richardson, who finished 13-132 and 2 TDs.  Once again, he came up huge in a big game.  “When I crossed that goal line,” he said after the game, “It was just silence.  Just a moment of silence before the crowd came back in.”

For Poly, it’s yet another heart-stopping come-from-behind playoff victory.  An emotional Lara tried to put the game into words after.  “I can’t say enough about Melvin,” he said.  “Or Morgan.  Or how about that defense?  Defense wins championships, and ours just did.”

That defense held Picazo, who Poly defensive coordinator Jeff Turley said earlier this week was more impressive to him than any other high school QB he’d seen, to just 11/24 for 118 yards, a TD and a pick.  By contrast Fennell, who knew he needed to step up this week, was 14/21 for 141 yards and a TD—a rating of 101, to Picazo’s 48.  Smith finished with 6 catches for 60 yards and the TD, and Poly was led on defense by its linebackers (George Daily-Lyles, Kenny Tuiloma, and Matt Jones combined for 20 tackles, 3 of them for a loss) and by its ends, as Tepa and Eli Edwards both hassled Picazo when they absolutely needed to.

Stay tuned later today as we’ll keep you posted on who Poly will be playing next week in the state-level championships.  As Turley put it in the postgame huddle: “Remember—we’ve got practice on Monday!”

Iuta Tepa with one of his seven tackles

Melvin Richardson prepares to make the last juke the ‘Rabbits would need, en route to his game-winning 61-yard TD run.

Gone!