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Football: What now for Long Beach Poly?

Los Angeles Times staff writer Ben Bolch
By Ben Bolch
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Think things couldn’t get worse for Long Beach Poly in the wake of a season-opening 30-7 dismantling by Servite? Next up for the Jackrabbits is St. Bonaventure, the two-time defending state Division III champion.

Is it looking like an 0-2 start for Poly?

‘We might even be 0-6,’ Jackrabbits Coach Raul Lara said.

He’s not kidding. Poly’s next five games are against St. Bonaventure, defending City Section co-champion Narbonne, San Diego Section power Oceanside, much-improved Long Beach Jordan and Lakewood, one of the top teams in California.

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‘It’s going to be pretty tough for us,’ Lara said. ‘We have to grow up, and we have to grow up quick.’

The Jackrabbits’ opening defeat also ensured that Lara would not notch his first undefeated season since taking over in 2001.

‘In my career I haven’t gone undefeated,’ he said. ‘I don’t know why but it’s kind of eluding me.’

--Ben Bolch

Varsity Times Insider
Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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