Poly rallies to grab a spot in Pac-5 final
Poly rallies to grab a spot in Pac-5 final
The Jackrabbits surge in second half to beat Lakewood, 20-10, and set up showdown with O.C. in the title game.
NORWALK - Long Beach Poly survived. Next for the Jackrabbits: the Pac-5 championship, vs. the winner of Saturday night’s Tesoro-Orange Lutheran game.
Poly slipped by Lakewood, 20-10, on Friday night at Cerritos College. But the Lancers might have revealed a blueprint for how to beat the defending CIF champion.
Lakewood took a 10-0 lead and was up, 10-3, at halftime, thanks to an efficient offense that kept the clock running and kept the Jackrabbits’ offense off the field.
Saturday's winner also will have to figure out a way to keep Poly running backs coach Don Noford quiet.
As tailback Melvin Richardson recalled, Noford said throughout the game: “If y’all want to win, get Melvin Richardson in the game.”
On all four Poly scoring drives, Richardson touched the ball at least four times. On every Jackrabbits drive that ended in a punt, he touched it once or not at all.
“I was anxious to get in, because I want another ring,” said Richardson, who had 133 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
Poly’s defense tightened in the second half, as a pair of interceptions set up the team’s last 10 points.
The Jackrabbits played Orange Lutheran in the semifinals the past two years, but they have not faced Tesoro. They defeated Lutheran, 2-0, last year, and they lost to the Lancers, 23-22, in 2006.
“We know Lutheran,” Poly coach Raul Lara said. “Tesoro’s the team no one really knows about. … But I saw them against Mission Viejo. Young Barnes has them going.”
Poly and Tesoro had no common opponents this season, but Lutheran and the Jackrabbits each played Bishop Amat of La Puente. Poly defeated Amat in the first round of the playoffs, 21-17. Amat defeated Lutheran during the regular season, 47-39.
The Jackrabbits are 2-0 against Orange County teams this season. They beat Newport Harbor in the regular season and slipped by Esperanza in the second round of the playoffs.
Comparing his team to Lutheran, Lara said: “I think we’re alike. They play great D; we play great D. They like running the ball; we like running the ball. … Orange Lutheran might be better throwing the ball right now, which could give them an advantage. Tesoro too.”
He’ll have a better idea after Saturday night, when both teams meet at Santa Ana Stadium.
Contact the writer: jkay@ocregister.com
