Long Beach Poly football holds off Millikan with big night from Devin Samples

LONG BEACH – Every azygous play matters, particularly erstwhile you’re trying to bushed Moore League powerhouse Long Beach Poly.

However, to person a accidental to bash that, you person to lucifer Poly’s velocity and halt its beardown moving crippled featuring inferior moving Devin Samples.

That simple, yet effectual crippled program powered Poly to a 42-28 triumph against Millikan connected Friday nighttime astatine Veterans Stadium.

“We privation to beryllium dominant,” said Long Beach Poly manager Stephen Barbee. “Bring Long Beach Poly wherever it needs to be, to the precocious echelons of precocious schoolhouse football.

“Dominant enactment play, violative and defense, and truly power the ball.”

Long Beach Poly manager Stephen Barbee said dominating the enactment of scrimmage and controlling the enactment via a beardown moving crippled volition beryllium the keys to triumph for Poly vs. Millikan. #LongBeachVarsity @BeachVarsity pic.twitter.com/Digl9VeNBF

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 25, 2021

Poly (2-3 1-0) did conscionable that connected its opening possession, imposing its volition to an aboriginal 7-0 lead. The Jackrabbits ran 5 consecutive times for 70 yards. The thrust ended with a 4-yard touchdown tally by elder backmost Shea Kuykendall.

Poly went up 14-0 connected a 10-yard touchdown tally by sophomore backmost Darius Curry, who splits clip with Kuykendall.

Millikan (2-4 1-1) battled back, making it a 14-7 crippled successful the 2nd 4th aft a beardown 4-yard touchdown tally by elder moving backmost Brodie Wojcik.

A large interception by Millikan inferior cornerback Jaden Hunt gave the Rams the momentum they needed to support pushing.

But Poly countered by astir forcing a safety, and yet forcing a fumble that placed them successful the reddish zone.

Three plays later, the 5-foot-7 Samples scored a 1-yard touchdown run, pushing Poly’s pb to 21-7 earlier halftime.

Samples powered the team’s discourtesy with 14 carries for 129 rushing yards successful the archetypal half. He finished with 35 carries for 284 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, aft a 1-3 nonleague record, Poly was much than acceptable to amusement what it could bash against a longtime rival successful its archetypal league crippled of the 2021 season.

“We’ve had flashes of greatness,” Barbee said. “We request to beryllium much accordant connected what we’re doing if we’re looking to beryllium a apical team.”

“It’s not what you do, it’s however you bash it,” Barbee continued.

Millikan manager Romeo Pellum implored his squad to play accelerated and marque large plays.

“Play fast, play fast, play fast,” said Long Beach Millikan manager Romeo Pellum erstwhile I asked him what the keys to the crippled against Poly are for his team. @RomeoPellum believes his squad tin win. @BeachVarsity #CIFSS #LongBeachVarsity pic.twitter.com/EIPWlBhMbE

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 25, 2021

“We conscionable interest astir us. We don’t interest astir what everybody other says,” Pellum said. “We conscionable interest astir what we tin control, which is connected the field.”

Most importantly, Pellum told his squad to ne'er backmost down successful the look of adversity.

In the 2nd half, the Rams kept warring aft the Jackrabbits went up 28-7.

Sophomore backmost Myles Jackson threw a 70-yard touchdown walk to sophomore wide receiver Ryan Pellum, pulling Millikan wrong 14 points.

In the 4th quarter, elder cornerback Tacario Davis, who is committed to Arizona, returned an interception  60 yards, astir scoring a touchdown.

A fewer plays later, Jackson recovered inferior wide receiver Angelo Miranda successful the extremity portion for a touchdown pass, cutting Poly’s pb to 28-21 with little than 8 minutes to go.

Samples sealed the crippled with a 50-yard touchdown tally successful the 4th quarter.

Millikan’s adjacent crippled is astatine location connected Friday, Oct. 1 astatine 7 p.m. against Lakewood.

Poly’s adjacent crippled is Friday, Oct 1 astatine 7 p.m. against Long Beach Wilson.