California: LB Poly's 80-game league winning streak over

The streak is over for Long Beach Poly. Its domination of the Moore League finally found its blip on the radar. The Jackrabbits were beaten on Friday by Lakewood, 21-14, and it ended Poly's state-record 80-game league winning streak in front of about 11,000 at Veterans Stadium.

It’s a distinction the Jackrabbits should hold for at least a year. Concord De La Salle has won 71 in a row and can’t break the record until it wins its fifth of seven East Bay League games next season.

Poly was down this season, in rebuilding mode, and everyone knew it. The Jackrabbits (2-4), two-time defending Southern Section Pac-5 champion, didn't have any returning starters on defense and had only four starters returning on offense.This anticipated loss had been written about since the beginning of the season, yet it didn't come with the ease that most expected. Poly led 14-7 at halftime on the strength of two 1-yard runs by quarterback Chris Leachman, and led 14-13 in the fourth quarter.

Turns out old champions go down hard.

Perhaps there is reason to celebrate Poly now more than ever. Under Jerry Jaso and now Raul Lara, it has sent more players to the NFL than any other program in America. It led the way in playing marquee nonleague games against the likes of De La Salle — and when was the last time anyone even hinted that Poly was shying away from the competition? — and it led the way for Southland teams in a prep world that has become increasingly rankings-conscious.

There was good reason Lara didn't register disappointment following the loss. Poly put out the effort and played to win; if it had believed the hype, that would have been a disappointment. We should not expect anything less from Poly, a program that should lead the way in showing how to win, as well as how to lose.

The last team to beat the Jackrabbits was Long Beach Jordan, 28-0, on Oct. 21, 1994. Lakewood had not beaten Poly in 26 years. Poly won 14 consecutive league titles, a share of 17 straight, and 27 of the last 28 (failing in 1991).

This is Poly’s first four-loss season since 1996, when it finished 9-4, but the four opponents who beat the Jackrabbits are a combined 18-3 and in MaxPreps’ state rankings: No. 7 Servite (4-1), No. 13 St. Bonaventure (4-1), No. 15 Oceanside (5-0) and No. 25 Lakewood (5-1).

Cory Westbook ran for 105 yards on 25 carries for Poly against Lakewood, an opponent that allowed only two touchdowns in its previous four games and had several Division I college prospects. Lakewood took its decisive lead when Terrance Woods scored from 3 yards with 9:06 remaining.

Justin Utupo, a Notre Dame-bound lineman who was so instrumental in shutting down Poly in the second half, was quoted in the Long Beach Press-Telegram from the school's on-field celebration: "It's about time somebody took them off the map."

It's a great quote, a wonderful sound bite caught up in the moment, but it's flatly wrong.

Poly isn't going anywhere. Simply put, for the first time in 15 years, the Jackrabbits faced a league opponent who was better. For a night, anyway. Lakewood's league winning streak is five. The Lancers have every right to be proud, but there’s a long way to go before reprinting any maps.

Long Beach Poly prepares to take the field prior to its state bowl game against Grant of Sacramento in 2008.

File photo by Louis Lopez

A hearing for Jerry Stone, 17, and whether he should be tried as an adult or juvenile is scheduled for Oct. 15. Stone, who would have been a running back at Lakewood, is facing two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of permitting another to shoot from a vehicle, one count of permitting a loaded firearm in a vehicle, one count of hit and run, and one count of residential first-degree burglary. He was allegedly the driver in a drive-by shooting before the season began; no one was injured.

Orange Lutheran (2-3) begins Trinity League competition on Friday against Santa Ana Mater Dei (3-2) at Santa Ana Stadium. Lutheran has beaten Mater Dei four years in a row, and all three times as Trinity League opponents.

Although neither team is off to a typical start and doesn’t appear to be in the elite class it had been, both programs had extenuating circumstances in the early going. Either of these teams could be there at the end of the season and this is one very big game.

Lutheran's three losses match its season total from last season, when it finished 10-3. Prior to its commanding 28-7 victory over Banning, Lutheran lost two in a row on the final play of the game, 20-14 to Redlands East Valley, and 37-31 in double-overtime to Harbor City Narbonne.

Lutheran is just a couple of plays away from being 4-1 with a four-game winning streak. And, mind you, quarterback Bobby Wheatley played with pneumonia against REV, which is ranked No. 19 in the state, and missed the Narbonne game.

Mater Dei could also have a better record — or a worse one. The Monarchs have played to the level of their competition, a surprise given the motivational prowess of Coach Bruce Rollinson. On the season, Mater Dei has outscored opponents by only seven points. They nearly defeated this week’s No. 1 team in the state, Huntington Beach Edison, in their last outing but lost in double overtime, 36-29. They barely defeated Cypress, 21-16; routed No. 16 Corona Centennial, 31-13; and barely beat L.A. Jordan, 23-20.

One thing to watch is how Lutheran copes with Mater Dei receiver Victor Blackwell, who missed the 14-2 loss to Carson and the victory over Cypress because of an injury. In three games, Blackwell has 11 receptions for 300 yards, an average of 27.3 yards per reception.

He's a nice target for QB Max Wittek, who is 32-of-58 for 505 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions since Blackwell joined the team. Without Blackwell, Wittek had been 14-of-36 for 233 yards and an interception.

Blackwell "brings a comfort level to the quarterback," Rollinson said. "They know he can stretch it. He can get underneath it. It gives us vertical stretch. You have to account for him. It opens up that much more stuff for you.

"In the Corona Centennial game, those are pretty good defensive backs, but he took off and the quarterback threw it as far as he could and Victor ran underneath it and blew the game wide open."

Don’t expect this game to be blown wide open, or the Trinity League either. Since the league was created in 2006, Lutheran has beaten Mater Dei, Mater Dei has beaten Anaheim Servite, and Servite has beaten Lutheran. It won’t get any easier for Mater Dei; it plays Servite the following week at Santa Ana Stadium. The site was changed from Anaheim Stadium to accommodate the Angels’ playoff series.

What about Santa Fe?

In Orange County, much is being made of La Habra's 29-28 victory over San Clemente, the Highlanders’ first victory over a Division I-caliber opponent. The winning drive, almost all on the ground, culminated with Josh Quezada (249 yards) scoring the touchdown with nine seconds left, then bulling his way into the end zone for a two-point conversion.

La Habra, two-time defending Southwest Division (VI) champion and currently ranked second to Tustin, has been hailed for playing up against the Pac-5 competition. The Highlanders were beaten a week earlier by Los Alamitos, 28-13, but the victory over San Clemente was seen as a breakthrough. It was a terrific victory, to be sure.

But not sure what that says about Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe, ranked sixth in the Southeast Division (VII), which defeated San Clemente by two touchdowns, 34-20. Santa Fe (4-1, 2-0) has won four in a row since losing to Downey Warren and faces winless Whittier La Serna Friday in a Pioneer League game.

One reason Santa Fe was beaten by Warren was because Bears running back Jesse Callier rushed for 214 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Other teams struggled just as much against Callier, who had rushed for 14 touchdowns and 1,075 yards (268.8/game) through four games. But Callier discovered a brick wall against No. 10 Vista Murrieta over the weekend. Callier did not score and gained just 30 yards in the first half as the Bears fell behind, 34-0 in their 42-28 loss to Vista Murrieta. He finished with 16 carries for 149 yards.

Callier was not without a highlight. He returned the opening kickoff 86 yards to the Vista Murrieta 13-yard line, but the defense responded with an interception. Game, set, match for Vista Murrieta, which scored the next 40 points.

There had been considerable interest from the beginning of the season in the Gardena Serra-Woodland Hills Taft game, and it delivered the goods. Taft came back from a 17-0 deficit before Serra won in overtime, 26-20, on Shaquille Richards' 5-yard run. Nice night for a backup.

Taft’s exciting D.J. Morgan rushed for 103 yards, including a 42-yarder, and two touchdowns. Lucky Radley finally played for Taft after a season of ineligibility, per a ruling by the L.A. City Section.

Radley carried eight times for 63 yards, including a 41-yard run, and caught a pass for 13. He also played linebacker in a stellar effort that shut down Serra in the second half. Radley had two older brothers that had played at Serra, but Lucky himself has played just about everywhere. He played as a freshman and sophomore at Encino Crespi, transferred to Taft but was ruled athletically ineligible, transferred to Agoura and played as a junior, and is now back to Taft.

Speaking of transfers, Michael Bercovici, a junior quarterback who left Westlake Village Westlake and transferred to Taft, told the Los Angeles Daily News it was for family reasons, but didn't elaborate. A few days later, Friday, the city ruled that Bercovici was ineligible pending review that the move was athletically motivated. I wouldn’t expect the city to break any speed records coming to a decision on that situation, either.

One of the best defensive performances of the season belonged to Moorpark (5-0, 2-0), which limited Notre Dame-bound running back Cameron Roberson to eight yards on nine carries in a 35-14 Marmonte League victory over Newbury Park (4-1, 1-1). Top-ranked in the Northern Division, the Musketeers also had five sacks and an interception to complement Austin Edmonson's 135 yards rushing and three touchdowns. . . . Statistically, Moorpark wasn’t as good on offense or defense as Newbury Park, but it had faced tougher competition. . . . Second-ranked Valencia (5-0) gave the best indication yet that it is a legitimate challenger to Moorpark and third-ranked St. Bonaventure for the Northern Division championship as junior Alex Bishop completed 14-of-17 passes for 206 yards and two TDs and Steven Manfro rushed for 98 yards to two scores in a 35-14 victory over Los Angeles Loyola (2-3). On the season, Bishop has thrown 16 touchdowns with only one interception, and Valencia has averaged 9.5 yards per play. . . .

The loss to Valencia was Loyola's first game under Adam Guerra, 24, the interim coach who took over after Jeff Kearin resigned unexpectedly from Loyola. Legendary Loyola coach Steve Grady was on the sidelines in an advisory role. . . . Earlier this season, Loyola beat Manhattan Beach Mira Costa but lost to Newport Harbor. On Friday, Mira Costa beat Newport Harbor, 24-20. Coach Jeff Brinkley has lost two in a row at Newport Harbor (3-2). His next victory will be No. 200 in his career, but his Sailors face three undefeated teams, Los Alamitos, Edison and Fountain Valley. Los Alamitos has allowed only 19 points this season and is ranked No. 6 in the state; Edison is ranked No. 1 and Fountain Valley is No. 11. . . .

Riverside Norte Vista coach Ken Batdorf posted his 100th victory with a 52-28 victory over Montclair. The 16-year veteran's team is 5-0, its best start in years, headed into the Sunkist League opener Thursday against winless Mira Loma Jurupa Valley. . . . A week after upsetting St. Bonaventure, La Puente Bishop Amat (5-0) had no letdown with Pomona Diamond Ranch, 41-13, as Jay Anderson ran for four touchdowns. Darien Johnson added his second punt return for a touchdown. He also has returned two kickoffs and an interception for scores. . . . San Juan Capistrano JSerra (5-0), winless in three seasons in the Trinity League, finished its nonleague schedule undefeated for the second consecutive year. . . . William Hinn rushed for four touchdowns and caught another as Saddleback Valley Christian outlasted Fairmont Prep, 54-51, in a small-school shootout. . . .

La Canada Flintridge St. Francis (5-0), top-ranked in the Western Division (III), gets its toughest test of the season Friday when it plays Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (4-1). St. Francis will induct five into its sports hall of fame at halftime: Rob Duncanson ’73 (football, track and golf), Fritz Menninger ’76 (track), J.P. Roberge ’90 (baseball), Tre Milton ’97 (football) and John Sciarra ’01 (football). . . . Cory Bess rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, and Brando Tessar scored from 12 yards with 2:22 left as West Hills Chaminade (5-0) defeated North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (3-1) in a battle of unbeatens. H-W was coming off an upset of Mission Hills Alemany. . . . Chaminade Coach Ed Croson indicated an interest in adding Oaks Christian or St. Bonaventure to its schedule. Now that’s called manning up. . . . Burbank, which hasn't won a league title since 1972, is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Pacific League after defeating two-time defending league champion Pasadena Muir, 29-28, in overtime. Adam Colman rushed and passed for touchdowns, and his pass to Ulises Ochoa on a two-point conversion was the difference. . . .

Covina Charter Oak (5-1) came from 19 points down late in the third quarter to defeat Etiwanda, 27-26, on the strength of A.J. Powell's three touchdown receptions from sophomore Travis Santiago, including a 45-yarder with 21 seconds left. The Chargers converted three fourth downs plays on their winning 14-play, 80-yard drive. . . . Palmdale Highland won a Golden League contest for the 39th time in 40 games with a 41-40 overtime victory over Quartz Hill, which scored first in overtime but faked a PAT to go for two, only to have Travis Kirby and Mitch Lorenzen break up a pass. Highland answered with a score and a conventional extra point for the decision. Last season, Palmdale beat QH and won league, but QH went on to win the section's Western Division title. Obviously, they're hoping history repeats itself.

Running backs D.J. Morgan of Taft and Malcolm Jones of Oaks Christian, and Oaks Christian lineman Cassius Marsh have been selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9 in San Antonio, Texas. It was a big week for Jones, who committed to UCLA. That’s a step in the right direction for the Bruins.

Local athletes have reportedly made their (non-binding) college choices:

Childera Uzo-Diribe, a defensive end at Corona, has committed to Colorado. . . . Deontae Cooper, a running back at Perris Citrus Hill, has committed to Washington. . . . Tyler Shreve, a quarterback at Redlands East Valley, has committed to Colorado State.

Temecula Chaparral softball players have reportedly agreed to scholarships.They are: Middle infielder Alanna Haskell (Ball State), catcher Alyssa Ruiz (New Mexico State) and junior shortstop/catcher Shelby Pickett (Ohio State). . . . Jazmine Zamora, a senior infielder with Temecula Great Oak, has committed to Hawaii.

Steve Pallares, a junior pitcher/infielder with Corona Santiago, has committed to San Diego State for baseball. . . . Brandon Dixon, a shortstop at Murrieta Valley, has committed to Arizona. . . . Griffin Murphy, a pitcher at Redlands East Valley, has committed to San Diego. . . . Jake Hernandez, a pitcher at Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos, has committed to USC. . . . Aaron Sanchez, a pitcher at Barstow, has committed to Oregon. . . . Austin Reed, a pitcher at Rancho Cucamonga, has committed to San Diego State. . . . Scott Frazier, a pitcher at Upland, has committed to Pepperdine. . . . Brad Salgado, a shortstop at Temecula Great Oak, has committed to Kansas.

Twin sisters Jasmine Lister and Cinnamon Lister have committed to different colleges to play women's basketball. Jasmine chose Vanderbilt, Cinnamon chose Boise State. . . . Kelsey Beard, a 6-3 center at Corona Centennial, has committed to UC Davis. . . . Brooke Lemar, a guard at Canyon Country Canyon, has committed to Western New Mexico.

Michelle Waber, a middle blocker and outside hitter at Elsinore, has committed to Hawaii for women's volleyball. . . . Johnna Fouch, a setter at Redlands East Valley, has committed to San Diego State. She had previously committed to Northridge.

And finally

The Los Angeles Unified School District is considering a 50-percent reduction in stipends for coaches for the 2010-11 school year. Those coaches are being underpaid to begin with; figuring that some coaches do it as supplemental income, interest in kids and satisfying a competitive urge, it’s difficult to assess the impact of such a move. They’re not doing it solely for the money.

However, cutting a $2,811 stipend in half for a football coach (or a $1,691 stipend for a cross-country coach) seems like the lazy answer, and I wonder how serious the district will be in attempting to save the stipends. The district doesn’t seem to hold athletics in high esteem, i.e., no playoff games during Thanksgiving weekend, no practice during teacher development days. This organization represents the second-largest city in America; it should possess the leadership and creative wherewithal to avoid such situations; in fact, it should be increasing the stipends. With all the money in Hollywood and corporate L.A., I challenge them to show their skills and business acumen rather than relying on the status quo: Be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Martin Henderson began covering Southland preps in 1993 for the Los Angeles Times. He contributes to the Orange County Register, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and San Bernardino Sun, and offers up motorsports opinions at Racescribe.com. You can reach him at southlandpreps@yahoo.com.