Long Beach Poly takes awhile to gel but beats Westlake, 34-24

It appeared as if Josh Love took a little longer than expected to warm up on Friday night. Nearly two quarters. However, once the senior quarterback from Long Beach Poly turned things around, there wasn’t much Westlake Village Westlake could do about it.

Following a particularly lackluster effort in the first quarter, Love passed for four touchdowns thereafter to help guide the Jackrabbits to a 34-24 victory over the visiting Warriors in a nonleague game at Veterans Stadium on the campus of Long Beach City College.

“Maybe it was jitters. Maybe not. I knew one thing, I had to stick with the game plan, that’s it,” Love said. “I was determined to make a statement out there. It didn’t matter how long that took to accomplish. The end result, getting the victory, is the only thing that matters.”

Westlake (2-1 overall) had a 14-0 lead in the second quarter and a 17-14 advantage at halftime. Love responded for the Jackrabbits (3-0) and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Johnnie Rucker (25 and 3 yards) and a couple more to Dae’John Jeffrey Logan (22 and 25 yards).

Worth mentioning is that his counterpart, Malik Henry, kept the underdog Warriors close throughout the game. The high-profile junior completed 19 of 30 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 31 yards and a score.

In the end, however, Love delivered when it mattered most.

“I have to give Josh credit, he played well tonight and helped get them get over the top,” Henry said. “When someone like that gets on a roll, it’s tough to deal with. I think I started off hot. He was hotter, though. The coaching staff tried to stop him, but came up short.”

Therein lies the key. If Love continues playing well, essentially managing the game and limiting the mistakes while taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves, the Jackrabbits appear fully capable of making some serious noise again this season.

Long Beach Poly coach and longtime NFL veteran Antonio Pierce stated as much during a somewhat brief conversation before the game. His tune did not change after the game. “Josh, I think, understands what’s expected of him here,” Pierce said.

There you have it. An apparent recipe for success. Let the talented defense of the Jackrabbits, led by seniors Iman Marshall and Joseph Wicker, do its job and then rely on Love to take care of business when the time is right.

“The pieces of the puzzle look like they’re in place,” Love said. “Everyone knows they have a job to do, including me. Tonight, yes, I could have done a better job of getting us off to a fast start. But I did not panic. I trusted my coaching and it paid off in the long run.”