Jackrabbits beat Rams in a thriller
LONG BEACH ❯❯ Senior running back Joshua Cason's 11-yard touchdown run was enough to power Long Beach Poly to a 2623 win in overtime against rival Millikan at Veterans Stadium on Friday night.
Cason finished with 108 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 17 carries.
Millikan received the ball first in overtime. Rams junior quarterback JP Mialovski threw three straight incompletions from the Poly 25. However, Millikan senior kicker Jayden Icasiano made a 42-yard field, giving the Rams a 23-20 lead that Cason's run erased.
“Any good team controls the controllable,” Poly coach Stephen Barbee said before the game. “You have to be emotionally strong, handle your emotions. There's going to be talking at some point in the game and you have to be the bigger one to walk away and not let your emotions take over.”
With the game tied at 20 and 3:38 to go in the fourth quarter, Poly faced fourth-and-15 at the Millikan 25. Poly senior quarterback Darius Curry scrambled and was sacked, turning the ball over on downs. However, Millikan went three and out, punting the ball back with less than two minutes to go.
Poly's Curry got another chance with 1:46 to go in the fourth quarter at his own 24. The Jackrabbits moved down the field and had a chance to win the game with seven seconds to go. However, Curry's pass to senior receiver Charles Clinton in the end zone was incomplete as Clinton narrowly failed to catch the ball inbounds as the regulation clock hit zero.
Poly's homecoming game plan centered around being able to run the ball and picking up first downs, according to Barbee. He also wanted his team's defense to be able to get Millikan's talented offense out on third downs.
The Jackrabbits took a 6-0 lead on a 5-yard touchdown run by Cason with 6:13 left in the first quarter. Poly's extra-point attempt was blocked.
Millikan's defense responded with a 13-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior defensive back/receiver Loyall Mouzon, giving the Rams a 7-6 lead with 1:34 left in the first quarter.
Curry (a Colorado State commit) threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Ezekiel Orozco, giving Poly a 12-7 lead. The Jackrabbits went for two and Curry's conversion pass to Orozco put them up 14-7 with 3:13 left in the first half.
Mialovski responded with a 27-yard pass to Mouzon, which set up Mialovski's 24-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Kyle Parker, tying the game at 14 with 1:52 to go in the first half.
Poly senior defensive back Quimari Shemwell hauled in an interception with 38 seconds to go before halftime.
Poly held Millikan to 39 yards rushing in the first half. However, the Jackrabbits had 156 passing yards.
Millikan held Poly to 40 yards rushing in the first half but the Rams had 143 passing yards.
Millikan's Mouzon hauled in his second interception of the game with 7:18 left in the third quarter, putting Poly in scoring position at the Millikan 22.
However, Poly forced Millikan to punt and then capped off a 52-yard scoring drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by Cason, his second of the game. Poly led 20-14 with 3:28 left in the third quarter. The Jackrabbits went two but failed to score on an incomplete pass.
A 37-yard field goal by Millikan senior kicker Jayden Icasiano cut Poly's lead to 20-17 with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter.
Millikan recovered a fumbled snap that sailed over Curry's head for the Jackrabbits' third turnover of the game, putting the ball at the Poly 17 with 8:13 left in the fourth quarter.
A 29-yard field goal by Millikan's Icasiano tied the game at 20 with 5:42 to go in the fourth quarter.