Poly Puts It All on Line

Long Beach Poly will try to become the third team in school history to repeat as Southern Section major division football champion when the Jackrabbits play Santa Ana Mater Dei in the Division I final tonight at Edison Field.

Kickoff is at 7.

Poly is familiar with winning back-to-back championships.

The Jackrabbits won consecutive titles in 1929-1930 and 1958-1959, making Poly the only school to repeat as Southern Section major-division champion twice.

Tonight’s game is a rematch of last year’s final, although the roles are reversed.

Last year, Mater Dei was the defending champion and the Monarchs entered the game with a 27-game win streak. Poly ended the streak with a 28-25 victory at the Coliseum that gave the Jackrabbits their 11th title, their first since sharing the championship with Huntington Beach Edison in 1985.

This year, it’s Poly (13-0) that carries a 27-game winning streak into the final. The Jackrabbits’ closest game this season was a 35-34 intersectional victory over Wilmington Banning.

Poly defeated Huntington Beach, Loyola and La Puente Bishop Amat en route to the championship with a high-powered offense led by senior quarterback Chris Lewis.

Lewis is the state’s career leader in touchdown passes with 107. He has passed for 2,972 yards and 41 touchdowns this season. Wide receivers Kareem Kelly, who has 41 receptions for 1,030 yards and 15 touchdowns, and Samie Parker (54 receptions for 1,214 yards and 16 touchdowns), give Lewis two big-play threats.

Running back Larry Croom has rushed for 1,106 yards and 17 touchdowns. David Word has gained 910 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

Cornerback Darrell Rideaux and linebacker Dennis Link lead the Jackrabbit defense.

Mater Dei (12-1) is in the final for the sixth time in the 1990s.

The Monarchs’ only loss came against Concord De La Salle. Mater Dei defeated Fountain Valley, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Los Alamitos in the playoffs.

Matt Grootegoed has rushed for 999 yards and 18 touchdowns.

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Football Playoffs

Southern Section championship games today.

DIVISION I

Long Beach Poly vs. Mater Dei at Edison Field, 7 p.m.

DIVISION III

Hart vs. St. Paul at College of the Canyons

DIVISION VII

Harvard-Westlake at Charter Oak

DIVISION VIII

Temescal Canyon vs. Bloomington at Elsinore Diamond

DIVISION XI

Carpinteria vs. St. Monica at Santa Barbara City College

DIVISION XII

Paraclete vs. Kilpatrick at Antelope Valley College

DIVISION XIII

Arrowhead Christian at Boron

All games 7:30 p.m. unless indicated