Dennis, Poly Have Plenty to Close Out Esperanza

It’s not that much of a trick to overcome a couple of big mistakes when you have Hershel Dennis on your side.

The Long Beach Poly running back ran for two of his five touchdowns in the fourth quarter and the Jackrabbits recovered from two third-quarter gaffes for a 49-28 victory over Anaheim Esperanza on Saturday in a Southern Section Division I semifinal game before 10,000 at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.

Dennis scored on runs of two and three yards as top-seeded Poly averted a comeback bid by the fourth-seeded Aztecs, who scored two third-quarter touchdowns after Jackrabbit turnovers to tie the score at 21.

“I got what I worked for,” said Dennis, who finished with 239 yards in 41 carries. “And the offensive line did a great job. Without them, I would have had none of this.”

Poly (13-0) will play second-seeded Loyola (12-1) in the championship game Saturday at Edison Field. It will be the fourth consecutive trip to the title game for the Jackrabbits, who are the defending co-champions.

Dennis scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when he squirted into the end zone from two yards to give the Jackrabbits a 28-21 lead.

Esperanza quarterback Ryan Sausedo, who finished with 300 yards passing and four touchdowns, had a pass intercepted by Poly cornerback Kim Taylor on the Aztecs’ next drive. Taylor returned the ball 40 yards for a touchdown and a 35-21 Poly advantage.

Dennis later tacked on his three-yard score to make it 42-21, and Jackrabbit free safety Darnell Bing intercepted another Sausedo pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown for Poly’s final points.

Esperanza running back Temitope Sonuyi was held to 46 yards in 15 carries, 158 below his average. He gained only 18 yards in the second half as Poly’s defense clogged up the rushing lanes.