L.B. Poly Beats Loyola in Overtime

Long Beach Poly pushed hard for a rule change after the 1999 Southern Section Division I championship game ended in a tie.

The Jackrabbits were happy to share the title with Santa Ana Mater Dei, but they would have preferred to have the chance to win it outright in overtime.

Poly got its wish when the section changed the rule in the off-season.

Saturday night, the Jackrabbits took advantage of the opportunity, defeating Loyola, 16-13, in overtime before 12,621 at Edison Field.

Poly running back Hershel Dennis scored the winning touchdown when he caught a pass from quarterback Brandon Brooks at the five-yard line and danced around a defender to complete an 11-yard scoring play that gave Poly its third title in four years.

“Hershel told me he was going to be wide open, and to just put the ball in the right place,” Brooks said. “I just stayed in the pocket and took the hit and it was all worth it.”

Poly (14-0) has now won 14 titles in 17 championship-game appearances. The Jackrabbits won consecutive titles for the third time. They also repeated in 1929-30 and 1958-59.

“It sure feels better than it did a year ago,” said Poly Coach Jerry Jaso, whose teams are 54-1-1 over the last four seasons.

Poly forced overtime with a 27-yard field goal by Javier Torres with four seconds left, after Loyola had taken a 10-7 lead on a five-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ware to tight end Joe Killefer with 1:12 remaining.

Wide receiver Mike Willis said the Jackrabbits never doubted they would win after Jaso addressed them before overtime. “He just told us to keep our heads up because we practice for this situation all week,” Willis said. “We knew we were going to get it done.”

Loyola’s touchdown was set up by a trick play on which offensive lineman Mike Wagoner ran for a 42-yard gain.

Loyola had the first possession in overtime, and drove from the 25 to the four. Nathan Oakes put the Cubs ahead, 13-10, with a 21-yard field goal.

Poly was penalized for delay of game on its first play, but Brooks completed a 19-yard pass to Willis to give the Jackrabbits a first down at the 11, setting up Dennis’ game-winning score.

Dennis, a junior, rushed for 136 yards in 23 carries, but he was neutralized most of the night by a stubborn Loyola defense led by linebackers Jordan Trott and Chad Slapnicka.

Brooks, who alternated with Markee White, completed 10 of 24 passes for 171 yards.

Poly held Ware to 64 yards in 17 carries. He completed six of 15 passes for 53 yards, but was sacked four times for 37 yards.

Loyola (12-2), which last won a title in 1990, was seeking its fifth title in its 10th championship game appearance. The Cubs lost to La Puente Bishop Amat in the 1995 final and to Mater Dei in the 1996 championship game.

Loyola had broken a scoreless tie when Oakes kicked a 46-yard field goal with 6:54 left in the third quarter.

But Poly’s defense, which recorded six shutouts this season, stepped up on Loyola’s next series, which began when Torres’ punt pinned Loyola at its three yard line.

The Cubs ran three plays but could go nowhere, bringing Kevin Connell in to punt from deep in the end zone.

As Connell took the snap, linebacker Marvin Simmons broke through the line and blocked the kick. The ball rolled to the right and safety Darnell Bing smothered it for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

That looked as if it would hold up, but White fumbled with 2:07 left, setting up Wagoner’s big gain on a “fumblerooski.”

It was scoreless at halftime, a situation that seemed to favor Loyola despite its almost total lack of offense.

Loyola had 15 total yards and no first downs. Poly had 152 yards of offense and eight first downs, but the Jackrabbits also lost a fumble and were penalized six times for 51 yards.

“We let them hang around so long, it played right into their hands,” Jaso said.

Loyola went three and out on the game’s first series, got the ball back at the Poly 29 when Joshua Hawkins fumbled the punt, but ran six plays without advancing past that point before turning the ball over on downs.

Meanwhile, Poly blew three potential scoring opportunities.

Torres missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt on the first play of the second quarter, a fourth-down pass from Brooks to Willis in the end zone was ruled incomplete after Willis had gone out of bounds before coming back to catch the pass, and Brooks had another pass intercepted by Ware in the end zone.

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DIANE PUCIN

There’s something special in the air when high school football comes to Edison Field. D2