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LONG BEACH – Servite kept pace with Long Beach Poly on Friday night in the first round of the CIF-SS Pac-5 Division playoffs, but the Jackrabbits scored a late touchdown and escaped with a 34-33 victory at Veterans Stadium.

The Friars missed two PATs and a 2-point conversion, which proved to be costly.

Quarterback Travis Waller led Servite on a nine-play, 55-yard scoring drive to take the lead, 33-27, with 4:35 left in the game. Waller capped the drive with a 3-yard scoring run and ran in a 2-point conversion to give the Friars the lead.

The Jackrabbits (10-1) stormed back and took the lead for good, 34-33, with a 10-yard run by Jeremy Calhoun with 3:15 to play.

On their ensuing possession, the Friars (4-7) drove to the Poly 35-yard line, but Waller’s fourth-down pass was batted down. The Jackrabbits ran out the rest of the time on the clock and held on to win.

“I’m proud of our kids and the way that they battled,” said Servite coach A.J. Gass, whose squad got into the playoffs as an at-large team after finishing fifth in the Trinity League. “This was one of those games where one or two plays made a big difference, and they made those big plays.”

Waller passed for 305 yards and scored two TDs. Tate Beachley rushed for 100 yards and scored two TDs for Servite.

“We executed as many plays as we could, but give Poly credit, they contained me pretty well tonight,” Waller said. “But our guys never gave up.”

James Brooks scored two touchdowns for the Jackrabbits, and Josh Love passed for two scores. The Jackrabbits, the No. 4 seed in the Pac-5, advance and will play Crespi of Encino next week in the second round.

Beachley scored on a 4-yard run early in the third quarter, but Servite missed its second PAT of the game and trailed, 20-19.

Poly countered with 56-yard touchdown pass from Love to Ceejhay French-Love, taking a 27-19 after three quarters.

Beachley added a second touchdown run in the fourth quarter, but Waller’s pass on a 2-point conversion fell incomplete and the Friars trailed, 27-25, with 9:12 to play.

Servite defensive lineman Anthony Casillas stopped Calhoun on a fourth-down run at the Friars’ 45-yard line midway through the final quarter, setting the stage for the Friars’ go-ahead score.

Midway through the first quarter, Brooks took a handoff around the right side and raced 65 yards for a TD giving Poly a 7-0 lead.

Waller completed a 16-yard TD pass to Equanimeous St. Brown with 7:29 left in the half but the Friars missed the PAT and trailed 7-6.

Later in the quarter, Brooks capped an eight-play, 74-yard scoring drive with a 37-yard touchdown run to increase the Jackrabbits lead to 13-6.

Love completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jackie Jones upping Poly’s lead to 20-6.

However, Waller rallied the Friars late in the half and capped a 74-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run with 5 seconds left in the half to cut the Jackrabbits lead to 20-13 at intermission.