Poly draws overflow crowd to Compton

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There were mixed reviews, at least from fans’ perspectives, of last Friday’s Moore League game between Compton and visiting Poly, if the message board at Rivals.com is any indication.

By Compton Athletic Director Maxine Kemp’s estimation, only about 3,000 of an overflow crowd of close to 5,000 people were allowed in to see the game because of a shortage of seating at the Tarbabes’ stadium.

‘That is the biggest game that we’ve had here in a long time,’ she said. ‘We had almost as many people outside as we had inside the stadium.’

I don’t know about Kemp, but I’d consider that a bad thing.

When so many people want to attend and celebrate a big game - -a positive community event by just about anybody’s standard, I’m sure -- it seems best to make appropriate accommodations.

The anticipated crowd was large, just not quite that large, Kemp said, to consider moving the game.

Compton had 2,500 tickets, about 900 of which went to Poly to be sold to the Jackrabbits’ fans. Extra bleachers seating an additional 800 or so people were brought in and placed behind the end zones and at the far ends of each sideline.

The numbers swelled beyond the norm because the Tarbabes (8-1, 4-1) were celebrating homecoming, and were believed to have had their best chance in years to defeat Long Beach Poly (8-1, 5-0), which, instead won its 72nd consecutive league game, a streak that dates back to 1994.

‘Next time, if we have Poly for homecoming, we would never do it at Compton again,’ Kemp said.

Poly, apparently, wouldn’t complain if they did. Kemp said she received a phone call Monday from a Poly administrator, thanking the Tarbabes for a competitive, enjoyable event. Undoubtedly made better for the Jackrabbits by their 42-14 victory.

‘Even though we lost, we count it as a positive day,’ Kemp said. ‘The only problem we had was people wanting to come in, and they couldn’t get it.’

-- Lauren Peterson

-- Image from www.compton.k12.ca.us