Poly scores late to win
McDonald seizes the chance at quarterback to show his stuff as Gauchos fall short.
Nolan McDonald’s 13-yard run gives the Jackrabbits a thrilling 20-17 victory over Narbonne.
The physicality, athleticism and pure strength on display during Thursday night’s big-boy football game between 19-time Southern Section champion Long Beach Poly and City Section power Harbor City Narbonne brought out UCLA Coach Jim Mora, several college players and several thousand prep fans.
They didn’t leave disappointed.
What they saw was an unsung quarterback supposedly about to lose his starting job, junior Nolan McDonald of Long Beach Poly, seize the moment.
He guided the Jackrabbits on a game-winning 82-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds left to deliver an emotional 20-17 victory over the host Gauchos.
Even more memorable for McDonald is that his first high school touchdown pass was caught by his sophomore brother, Camren, on a 59-yard score in the second half.
Poly (2-0) rose up to let everyone in Southern California know it’s going to be a team to reckon with despite a difficult schedule that includes a game with state power Concord De La Salle.
The big question will be, who’s going to play quarterback? Malik Henry, a Florida State commit, showed up last month and began practicing with the Jackrabbits. McDonald guided the Jackrabbits to a 13-12 win over Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial on Aug. 21.
Henry was not cleared by the Southern Section to play by Thursday night, so McDonald remained the starter and kept making big plays with his scrambling ability.
“My offensive line remained calm through the game and gave me a good pocket,” he said.
Afterward, he was smiling and grateful for the opportunity to show what he could do.
“As a football player, you have to embrace competition,” he said. “Malik is a good quarterback and I hope to learn a lot from him, but we pulled it out today.”
Poly’s defense prevented Narbonne’s experienced offense (10 returning starters) from breaking off big plays. De’Andre Pierce had an interception and Poly also blocked a punt that led to a 16-yard touchdown by JaJuan Barker.
McDonald rushed for 76 yards and passed for 140 yards.
Narbonne (0-1) seemed in control when it took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Roman Ale. That completed a 97-yard drive.
But the Jackrabbits just wouldn’t go away.
The message from Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas before the game to his players was, “Do your job.”
On a board in the football room, defensive players wrote down pledges such as “I will make all my tackles,” “I will line up correctly,” “I will be more explosive, focused and motivated” and “I will not overthink.”
But the Gauchos couldn’t come through on Poly’s final drive that started on its 18 with 2:14 left. McDonald kept finding ways to keep the drive alive.
“Tonight I’m going to celebrate this W and next week I’m going to come back and make sure I secure my position,” he said.