Long Beach Poly Opens Moore League Play With 55–0 Shutout of Lakewood
PYNN'd News Sports | A Fairytale by Pynnderella
My glass slipper may be off, but my Pynn is always down... now, let's get into it.
Long Beach Poly opened Moore League play Friday night with the kind of performance the Jackrabbits had been waiting for. Playing at home against Lakewood, Poly dominated from the opening whistle and rolled to a 55–0 shutout, ending a five-game losing streak and immediately putting itself at the top of the early league standings.
The win came during a significant week for the program. The CIF Southern Section transfer sit-out period ended Monday, making several Poly players eligible to take the field, and the Jackrabbits also received a forfeit from Yorba Linda after the school used an ineligible player. By Friday night, Poly had several new pieces available, and the difference was obvious.
The most anticipated debut belonged to sophomore quarterback Trevor Scott, who took his first varsity snap as Poly's starting quarterback and delivered one of the biggest individual performances of the night. Scott completed 15 of 20 passes for 289 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 49 yards.
For a player making his first varsity start, Scott looked remarkably comfortable.
Three of his first seven completions went for touchdowns, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Coley, a 31-yard score to Zion Anderson and a 44-yard touchdown strike to Miami commit Donte Wright. Scott's ability to push the ball downfield immediately changed the way Lakewood had to defend Poly, creating room for the Jackrabbits' running game as the night continued.
Scott had been waiting six games for the opportunity. After transferring from Mater Dei, the sophomore quarterback had been unable to play during Poly's first portion of the season because of the transfer sit-out period. His first game came with considerable anticipation around the program, and he gave Poly exactly the offensive spark it had been missing.
The Jackrabbits entered the game having scored only 74 points through their first six games, including just seven points in their previous game against Rancho Cucamonga. Friday's 55-point explosion nearly matched that entire previous total in one night.
Scott wasn't the only reason.
Jeron Johnson II had one of the game's biggest rushing performances, carrying the ball eight times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. His explosiveness gave Poly another way to attack once the passing game forced Lakewood's defense to respect the receivers downfield.
Zion Anderson finished with 123 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Jayden Coley caught six passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. The combination of Scott's accuracy and Poly's speed at receiver created problems for Lakewood throughout the night.
Elijah “Bubba” Dawson added another rushing touchdown as Poly continued to find ways to move the football on the ground. The Jackrabbits finished with nearly 250 rushing yards, according to The562's game report.
The result was Poly's highest-scoring game of the season.
While the offense received most of the attention, Poly's defense gave the performance its other defining number: zero.
Lakewood was held scoreless for all four quarters, and the Lancers struggled to establish any consistent offensive rhythm. Quarterback Aidan Kautsky completed 7 of 12 passes for 46 yards and threw one interception, while running back Jacob Carey carried 11 times for 14 yards.
Poly's defense also produced two takeaways.
Toa Cagnolatti came up with a diving interception and later recovered a fumble that was forced by Sammy Timu. Sophomore defensive lineman Jace Lockett, another Mater Dei transfer who became eligible this week, recorded four tackles for loss, while Kasim Shepherd added a sack.
Head coach Travon Patterson credited the defense for its consistency throughout the season while acknowledging that the offense finally joined the party.
“Our defense has been playing great all year and I’m glad our offense could join the party,” Patterson said.
Friday's result was significant beyond the scoreboard because Poly finally got to see what its roster could look like with some of its previously unavailable players on the field.
Scott's debut was the headline, but the performance around him suggested that Poly may have more offensive options than it showed during the opening weeks of the season. The quarterback's ability to throw vertically opened opportunities for Anderson, Coley and Wright, while Johnson continued to provide a dangerous rushing option.
For Scott, the night was the payoff after spending the first six games watching from the sideline.
There was also a sense of relief around the program after a difficult start. The Jackrabbits entered the night with a 1–5 record on the field, but Friday's victory moved them to 2–5 overall and 1–0 in Moore League play. Lakewood fell to 2–5 overall and 0–1 in league play.
The shutout gives Poly an important start to league play, but the Jackrabbits do not have much time to celebrate. Their next matchup is against Woodrow Wilson, the defending Moore League champion, on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Wilson opened league play with a 35–8 victory over Jordan, setting up an early matchup between two undefeated teams in Moore League play.
For Poly, the difference between the first six games and Friday night was impossible to miss. A team that had struggled to consistently generate points suddenly produced 55, while the defense recorded its first shutout of the season.
More importantly, the Jackrabbits finally got to see their new quarterback on the field.
Trevor Scott didn't simply make his varsity debut. He threw for 289 yards, accounted for five passing touchdowns and gave Poly's offense an entirely different dimension in its first league game.
After six games of waiting, Poly finally got to see what Scott could do.
And Friday night, he gave them plenty to talk about.
The culture moves quick, but my Pyn is quicker.
Pynnderella, The Fairytale Connoisuer
