November 27, 2009 | 9:51
pm
Servite's defense has held _ barely _ and the Friars have come away with a 21-18 victory over Long Beach Poly to move into the Pac-5 Division semifinals.
Poly took the ball from its own 44 with 1:27 left to the Servite 22 with 11 seconds left. On third down, kicker Hayden Hunt came in to attempt a game-tying 39-yard field goal. But Servite's John Paul Onorato sprinted in from the side to block the kick.
But because it was third down and the ball went out of bounds, the Jackrabbits at first thought they had one final play with three seconds left. The officials huddled, then decided to give the ball to Servite, which ran a final play to run out the clock.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 9:34
pm
Chris Nicholls has caught a nine-yard touchdown pass with 1:32 left to give Servite a 21-18 lead over Long Beach Poly in a wild Pac-5 quarterfinal.
Servite's final drive started on its own six-yard line with 4:25 left. Cody Fajardo completed passes of six, 17 and 28 yards as they patiently drove down field. The Friars faced a fourth-and-three situation from the Poly 32 with 2:11 left.
Servite called timeout. Then Poly called timeout. The tension and pressure could be felt in the packed stands of Veterans Stadium. Fajardo took the snap and kept looking for an open receiver. There was none. Then, at the last second, he threw a short pass intended for Ainsle Johnson. It fell incomplete but pass interference was called, giving Servite a first down.
Then, with 1:37 left, the Friars faced another fourth-and-one from the 9. Another timeout by Servite, followed by another timeout by Poly. More tension.
But Fajardo completed the nine-yard TD pass to Nicholls running toward the left. Now it's up to Poly to answer.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 9:14
pm
Long Beach Poly has taken an 18-14 lead over Servite after Kaelin Clay put together a burst of speed and ran 64 yards for a touchdown with 4:29 left.
This game is going down in Poly lore if the Jackrabbits pull it out. Quarterback Chris Leachman had a 12-yard completion on third down to keep the drive alive.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 9:09
pm
Servite's Sean DeRosa lost the ball on a fumble near the goal line, and it went into the end zone and out of bounds for a touchback, giving the ball to Long Beach Poly with 6:59 left. The Jackrabbits trail, 14-12.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 9:03
pm
Kaelin Clay scored on a three-yard touchdown run for Long Beach Poly, but a two-point conversion attempt failed when quarterback Chris Leachman was run out of bounds. Poly trails Servite, 14-12, with 9:49 left.
Leachman guided the Jackrabbits on a 90-yard scoring drive. He connected on a 26-yard pass to Alex Cannon and an 11-yard pass to Richard Smith.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 8:48
pm
Did someone from Long Beach Poly misinterpret that decision recently by Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots when he went for a first down deep in his own territory and failed?
Poly took a gamble with a fake punt on fourth-and-seven from its own 23. The play was stopped for no gain. And Servite just made the Jackrabbits pay, with Cody Fajardo passing 19 yards to Robert Abeyta for a touchdown with 4:17 left in the third quarter for a 14-6 lead over the Jackrabbits.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 8:37
pm
Servite's first possession of the third quarter ended in a 41-yard missed field goal with seven minutes left. The Friars still have a 7-6 lead.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 8:06
pm
Servite has been doing absolutely nothing on offense, but finally has come alive. After a fumble recovery by Butch Pauu on the Servite 21, quarterback Cody Fajardo woke up his teammates with a series of runs and passes that culminated in his 14-yard TD run with 21 seconds left in the second quarter, and the Friars have taken a 7-6 lead over Long Beach Poly in their Pac-5 Division quarterfinal game.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 7:48
pm
Things are going from bad to worse for heavily favored Servite. Quarterback Cody Fajardo had a wide-open receiver headed for a touchdown but overthrew the ball.
Then, a 44-yard field-goal attempt never got off because of a fumbled snap. It's Long Beach Poly 6, Servite 0 with under six minutes left in the second quarter.
-- Eric Sondheimer
November 27, 2009 | 7:44
pm
Perhaps Servite will wake up from its trance after blocking a Long Beach Poly punt and taking over on the Poly 30 with 8:37 left in the second quarter trailing 6-0.
I can't believe how much better Poly looks compared to early in the season. Players are giving second and third efforts. Running backs are running hard. The program that has won 18 Southern Section championships is looking like the team of old. That's a scary thought for Servite and any other teams left in the Pac-5 playoffs.
-- Eric Sondheimer
