No. 1, for sure

Roger Carlson

The prospect of watching what is supposedly a matchup of the top

two high school football teams in the nation, or universe for that

matter, was so alluring that more than 100 press credentials were issued

and the lines of photographers up and down the sidelines at Veterans

Stadium in Long Beach Saturday night were second to only a Super Bowl, or

college bowl game on New Year’s Day.

And, there’s always the question of where do “we” stand in the great

puzzle. How does Newport Harbor, or Corona del Mar, or Costa Mesa, or

Estancia, measure up?

So two great programs from opposite sides of the state with opposite

personas took the field.

Poly, the loosey-goosey Jackrabbits who have basically run everyone

off the field for the past three years and has been a recognized power

for decades, against the familiar sight of a parochial powerhouse, where

discipline and execution, along with a few well-placed imports, are the

trademark.

Most in Southern California felt the 116-game winning streak De La

Salle of Concord carried with it was in jeopardy. Poly simply had too

many big-time weapons with size, strength and speed all in the

Jackrabbbits’ camp. And, Poly would be “up” for this one. There would be

no “looking past” syndrome to blame for any upset.

What’s more, surely 116 victories in a row have come at the expense of

many mediocre programs. So we surmised.

So there they were, before 17,321 fans, as well as the television

crews which spent most of the night slowing the momentum of both teams

with their commercial breaks.

When it was over the Spartans had sent most of the crowd away

disappointed, but for high school football fans, it was one of the most

exquisite displays of how to play the game imaginable.

Beginning with pregame ceremonies of common respect for one another,

to the aftermath, when both teams converged to the center of the field

offering congratulations for a game well-played, it was a masterpiece of

execution and near-misses.

De La Salle displayed an ability to turn Poly’s weapons into

liabilities as the running game, and passing game for that matter,

consistently attacked back across the grain.

And, the Spartans had a weapon which had not really surfaced coming

into the game in the form of 5-foot-7, 180-pound junior Maurice Drew, who

lined up in the backfield so low to the ground perhaps the Jackrabbits

were not even aware he was there as they lined up.

He ran for touchdowns on runs of 17 and 22 yards, caught touchdown

passes from 25 and 29 yards out, and to cap it, sacked Poly’s quarterback

in the first quarter for an 8-yard loss, leading to a Long Beach field

goal.

De La Salle never trailed and was in command from the first drive when

the Spartans, after a 33-yard kickoff return by (of course) Drew, drove

60 yards for a touchdown on seven plays, piling up four first downs

before Drew smashed an open-field tackle and dashed the final 25 yards.

Drew surprised everyone, surely his coach, by sommersaulting into the

end zone on his touchdown play, but it didn’t matter. After a 15-yard

penalty the Spartans booted home the PAT.

The energized Spartans again ran roughshod over Poly’s defense before

the end of the first quarter, going 67 yards in nine plays after a

30-yard kickoff return, and the moves as quickness of Drew & Co. actually

made Poly’s defense appear slow.

On the other other side of the coin, Poly’s offense missed sensational

clicks by inches, again and again, with dropped passes that appeared to

be touchdown-bound, and fourth-down bursts coming up one inch short of

converting.

There seemed litte dissent to the notion Poly could have easily won

this game despite all of the richly-deserved moments of execution by the

Concord crew.

So it went as these two team put together a performance that suggests

a few things.

One, they should play again next year.

Two, both schools, despite the competitive fervor, proved you can do

it in a manner which finds the winner and loser coming off the field with

heads held high. From my viewpoint, Poly, as well as high school football

in general, never looked better.Three, our teams still have a ways to go.

But I’d sure like to see what would happen if a fellow named Maurice Drew

decided he needed some surf time on Sunday mornings to round out his

personality.

And four, there’s a lot to be said for, and against, high school

rankings over the span of a nation, where common foes to determine

strengths are few, if ever.

But if there are any teams around who are better than De La Salle, I’d

sure like to see them.