Mater Dei vs. Long Beach Poly

RECORDS--Mater Dei 12-1; Poly 13-0

SITE--Edison Field, 7

TV-RADIO--Fox Sports West 2; KPLS 830

MATER DEI--Mater Dei spent much of the season ranked second in the county behind Los Alamitos, then last Saturday proved which was the better team, burying the Griffins, 33-6, in the semifinals. The Monarchs have been solid on defense during their playoff run, giving up only 23 points in three games. The return of middle linebacker Kevin Mitchell has allowed outside linebackers Dustin Davis (14 sacks) and Justin Patterson to attack quarterbacks with zone blitzes. But Mater Dei cannot expect this game to be a defensive struggle. The Monarchs have to limit the number of times Poly gets the ball to have a chance. Matt Grootegoed (999 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Junior Palacios (627 yards, five touchdowns) combined for 321 yards rushing and four touchdowns against the Griffins. But the holes won’t be as plentiful against a quick Jackrabbit defense. Quarterback Scott Lukash (2,259 yards, 29 touchdowns, three interceptions) will need to be at his best tonight, as will receiver Kelvin Millhouse (49 receptions, 1,117 yards, 17 touchdowns), who will be up against the best secondary he has seen this year.

POLY--A year ago in the Coliseum, the Jackrabbits upset Mater Dei’s bid to repeat as section champion and ended the Monarchs’ school-record 27-game winning streak. This year, the situation is reversed. Poly has a school-record 27-game unbeaten streak. And the Jackrabbits might be better than they were last year. By the time the college recruiting period ends, as many as eight Poly players could be signed with Division I teams. Stanford-bound Chris Lewis (2,972 yards, 41 touchdowns) has matured into one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. This season he shattered Ron Cuccia’s 21-year-old state record for career touchdown passes (91). Lewis has 107 and counting. He has two swift receivers to throw to in Samie Parker (54 catches, 1,214 yards, 16 touchdowns) and Kareem Kelly (41, 1,030, 15), and a top running back in Larry Croom (1,106 yards rushing, 17 touchdowns). In fact, the Jackrabbits’ collective speed is second to none in the state. Only one team has come close to beating them; Los Angeles Banning lost, 35-34, because the Pilots controlled the game and clock with their running game. Poly will have to keep Mater Dei from doing the same if it wants to repeat.

KEYS TO THE GAME--Mater Dei hopes it can hit Poly enough times to slow the Jackrabbits if not wear them down. Poly probably won’t break Mater Dei’s will to win but must take advantage of its superior athleticism, making the Monarchs chase them on the scoreboard as well as the field.