The Preps : Long Beach Poly Is Undefeated and Unseeded for Football Playoffs

Despite an undefeated regular season and a No. 3 ranking in the Times’ top 15, Long Beach Poly has a rough road ahead in its quest for the Southern Section Division I football championship.

The Jackrabbits are unseeded in the playoff pairings because they finished in a tie with Long Beach Jordan for the Moore League title. Poly and Jordan played to a 6-6 tie early in the season, and both teams finished with 4-0-1 league records.

The tie turned out to be costly for Poly, because Jordan won the coin flip to determine the Moore League’s No. 1 representative, making Poly the league’s No. 2 team in the playoffs.

Under Southern Section rules, a No. 2 team can’t be seeded unless the No. 1 team from the league is seeded. So, Poly (8-0-1), with regular-season victories over second-seeded Fountain Valley and fourth-seeded La Puente Bishop Amat, follows the path of unseeded Jordan (4-4-1).

Poly will play Encino Crespi, No. 2 team in the Del Rey League, in the first round and, if the Jackrabbits win, will probably face Angelus League power Anaheim Servite in the quarterfinals.

“We screwed ourselves up by tying Jordan,” said Thomas Whiting, co-coach of the Poly team with Jerry Jaso. “We have to just play ball now. It will be a challenge playing against Crespi and a back with the talents of Russell White, but at this point of the season, nothing is given to you.”

Besides being unseeded, Poly also has its share of injuries. Speedy tailback Andre Green has been hampered in recent weeks by a bruised thigh, star quarterback Michael Carter did not play last week because of a shoulder sprain and wide receiver-backup quarterback Stanley Alexander is down with a shoulder separation.

“We are a little dinged up with injuries,” Whiting said. “Alexander is doubtful and Carter is questionable. We just have to play with who we have.”

Asked who would start at quarterback if Carter and Alexander can’t play, Whiting replied: “Don’t ask me that because I do not even want to think about it.”

Jordan is also in a tough playoff bracket. The Panthers will face Santa Ana Mater Dei in the first round and possibly top-seeded Loyola in the second. With a current 4-game winning streak, however, the Panthers could be the surprise team of the playoffs.

Their .500 record is misleading because their 4 nonleague losses were to El Toro, Huntington Beach Edison, Servite and Sante Fe Springs St. Paul. With a 1,000 yard rusher in 5-foot 7-inch senior Johnny Robinson and a defense that held Servite’s star running back Derek Brown to a season-low 16 yards in 13 carries, the Panthers may be a sleeper.

In the annual City Section showdown, Carson easily defeated Banning at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach Friday night, 24-13, for the Pacific League title and top seeding in the 4-A Division playoffs.

Thanks largely to quarterback Perry Klein’s passing and rushing, the Colts (9-1) won their second consecutive league title and their third straight over Banning. Klein completed 9 of 11 passes for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns, but it was his running that surprised the Pilots.

Klein, known as a passer, alternates at quarterback with Fred Gatlin, best known for his rushing skills. Yet, it was Klein’s running that set up Carson’s first touchdown.

With Carson leading, 3-0, Klein scrambled for 15 yards and the Colts picked up 15 more on a late hit by the Banning defense. Two plays later, Klein completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Armin Youngblood.

Klein also showed his passing skills in the third quarter with a 2-play, 44-yard drive. Both plays were passes by Klein; the second, to Errol Sapp, going for 36 yards and a touchdown that put the game out of reach.

Whereas Klein sparkled, Banning quarterback John Ma’ae had a rough time. Ma’ae, who played despite an ankle injury he suffered the previous week against Crenshaw, was unable to escape the Colts’ constant pressure defense and was sacked 6 times.

With the victory, Carson receives a bye in the first round of the playoffs, but three of the City’s toughest teams--Dorsey, Granada Hills and Woodland Hills Taft--are in the Colts’ bracket. Unseeded Banning (8-2) plays in the weaker bracket that has only San Fernando and Fairfax with winning records.

Prep Notes

Johann Fuller of Loyola gained 138 yards in 24 carries in the Cubs’ 17-6 win over Crespi in the Del Rey League title game last Saturday night. . . . Derek Brown of Servite rushed for 246 yards in 21 carries and scored 5 touchdowns, 1 on a 96-yard opening kickoff return in the Friars’ 42-24 victory over Mater Dei. . . . Riverside Rubidoux (8-2) defeated Fontana, 37-0, ending the Steelers’ 23-game winning streak. Going into the game, Fontana had shut out 6 of 9 previous opponents.

In a battle between two 9-0 teams, El Segundo defeated Santa Monica St. Monica for the Sante Fe League title last Friday, 19-18. . . . Mark Harper of Santa Monica High scored 5 touchdowns and rushed for 288 yards as the Vikings defeated Lawndale Leuzinger, 41-28, and won the Bay League title.

In City action, San Fernando won the North Valley League title with a 24-3 victory over Granada Hills last Thursday. Howard McCrary, San Fernando’s free safety, intercepted 3 passes and recovered 2 fumbles. . . . Franklin remained undefeated with a 27-10 win over Wilson for the Northeast League title, despite a 199-yard rushing performance by Wilson’s Jerry Garcia. . . . Curtis Scott of Monroe rushed for 191 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in the Vikings’ Mid-Valley title-clinching victory over Van Nuys, 28-22. . . . Kelvin Byrd rushed for 126 yards and Rich Consentino passed for 2 touchdowns in rallying Taft to a 25-22 victory over Reseda Cleveland for the West Valley League championship.

The Southern and City section finals in boys’ and girls’ cross-country and girls’ volleyball are scheduled this weekend. The City cross-country meet is Friday at Pierce College and the Southern Section is Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College. Palos Verdes’ girls’ cross-country team will seek its fourth consecutive Southern Section title and its second state championship. The Palos Verdes girls are led by senior Ashley Black and freshman Maya Muneno. The City volleyball championships are Saturday at UCLA in the Wooden Center, and the Southern Section finals in all six divisions are scheduled Saturday beginning at 9:45 a.m. at Marina High in Huntington Beach.

TIMES’ PREP POLLS

Southern Section

No. School, League Record 1. Loyola, Del Rey 10-0-0 2. Mission Viejo, South Coast 10-0-0 3. Long Beach Poly, Moore 8-0-1 4. Santa Barbara, Channel 10-0-0 5. Edison, Sunset 9-1-0 6. CC Canyon, Golden 8-2-0 7. Servite, Angelus 8-2-0 8. Bishop Amat, Angelus 8-2-0 9. Fontana, Citrus Belt 9-1-0 10. Fountain Valley, Sunset 8-2-0 11. Santa Monica, Bay 7-2-0 12. Etiwanda, Hacienda 10-0-0 13. Valencia, Orange 9-0-1 14. Los Alamitos, Empire 9-0-1 15. Rubidoux, Citrus Belt 8-2-0

City

No. School, League Record 1. Carson, Pacific 9-1-0 2. Franklin, Northeast 9-0-0 3. Banning, Pacific 8-2-0 4. Dorsey, Pacific 7-2-0 5. San Fernando, North Valley 7-3-0 6. South Gate, Central 10-0-0 7. Monroe, Mid Valley 8-1-0 8. Granada Hills, North Valley 8-2-0 9. Reseda, Mid Valley 8-1-0 10. Taft, West Valley 6-3-0