Column: Narbonne topples Long Beach Poly in knock-down affair

You don’t really need anyone in the stands to get the talking and intensity rising when 19-time Southern Section champion Long Beach Poly and five-time City Section Division I champion Harbor City Narbonne are on a field together.

About an hour before kickoff on Friday night, as the players were warming up, Poly linebacker Josh Brown started shouting across the field. Narbonne players started inching forward. Twice players had to be separated.

Yep, this was going to be a no-holds-bar duel in Long Beach with the emphasis on hitting.

After a lackluster performance in the first half, No. 5-ranked Narbonne (2-0) dominated in the second half and came away with a 25-13 victory at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

On offense, junior quarterback Jalen Chatman completed eight consecutive passes at one point in the second half and finished 20 of 35 for 290 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

Tre Walker shook off an early drop to catch eight passes for 138 yards. Narbonne’s powerful defense, led by linebackers Raymond Scott and Anthony Pandy, forced two fumbles in the second half and shut down the Jackrabbits’ rushing attack.

“Everyone was screaming at each other in the locker room,” Pandy said after the Gauchos trailed, 13-6. “Everyone was upset. No one was blaming anyone. We just had to step it up.”

Poly (1-1) came away with the halftime lead behind the play of quarterback Nolan McDonald. He had scrambles of 21, 14 and 13 yards. He had a four-yard touchdown run. He also connected with Zion Bowens for a 67-yard touchdown pass in which Bowens eluded three Narbonne defenders on his way to the end zone.

Narbonne struggled with poor punts, poor field position and no rushing attack. Two 28-yard field goals by Edgar Ramos kept the Gauchos within striking position. Poly’s Brown had an interception, showing he can back up his bark.

But it was all Narbonne in the second half. The Gauchos turned loose their linebackers and outscored Poly, 19-0. Kameron Denmark had touchdown runs of 19 and two yards in the third quarter. Juwan Tucker caught a seven-yard TD pass. Both teams had more than 100 yards in penalties.

The difference was that Narbonne twice stripped the ball away from McDonald in the second half.

What an accomplishment for the Gauchos. They open the season with wins over Gardena Serra and Long Beach Poly, two of the most respected football programs in Southern California. They get unbeaten Palos Verdes next week, and a win could send the Gauchos on their way to an unbeaten regular season and contention for a CIF Open Division bowl berth.

It all depends on the Gauchos fixing their mistakes. As Coach Manuel Douglas told his team afterward, “What did I tell you at halftime? I called it. I said we’re going to win this game. All we had to do is settle down.”

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: latsondheimer