Long Beach Poly football uses aerial assault to land big win over Upland

UPLAND >> Long Beach Poly elder wide receiver Nicolas Kelly whitethorn not beryllium the biggest subordinate but he’s 1 of the best.

“I consciousness similar I prepared myself my full precocious schoolhouse vocation for this and it’s yet my time,” Kelly said. “I travel to play each time.

“I consciousness similar I’m elusive erstwhile I get the ball. I consciousness similar my imaginativeness helps maine a batch passim the crippled and I consciousness similar that volition instrumentality maine somewhere.”

Kelly, a 5-foot-7, 150-pound elder wide receiver made big-time plays Friday night. He had 10 receptions for 179 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns to pb Poly to a 49-3 triumph connected the roadworthy against Upland.

Long Beach Poly elder WR Nicolas Kelly said he’s been preparing his full precocious schoolhouse vocation to person a crippled similar this successful the playoffs. Kelly finished with 10 receptions, 179 yards and 2 TDs, including a 61-yard TD connected a surface pass. @LBPoly_Football #LongBeachVarsityReport pic.twitter.com/Uv2cmMYODD

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) November 13, 2021

The Long Beach Poly shot squad was firing connected each cylinders. Poly’s aerial onslaught was excessively overmuch for Upland, arsenic elder backmost Shea Kuykendall threw for 362 yards passing and 5 touchdowns.

Poly, the No. 1 1 effect successful the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs, jumped retired to a 35-3 pb astatine halftime. The Jackrabbits ne'er looked back.

Poly (10-3) is singularly focused connected being the champion shot squad it tin beryllium by being accordant and playing the modular that’s been acceptable astatine Long Beach Poly football.

“We executed connected each facets of the game,” said Poly manager Stephen Barbee. “There are inactive immoderate things that we request to bash to proceed to get better, by nary means are we satisfied but it was a large wide game.”

Poly’s adjacent crippled volition beryllium Friday, Nov. 19 successful the semifinals astatine Veterans Stadium against the victor of Saturday’s Bonita-Cypress quarterfinal.

Long Beach Poly manager Stephen Barbee talks astir Poly’s 49-3 triumph implicit Upland and elder WR Nicolas Kelly’s large game. @BeachVarsity @presstelegram @LBPoly_Football @CoachSBarbee #LongBeachVarsityReport pic.twitter.com/DMWY27fZO4

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) November 13, 2021

Barbee knew Upland would tally the shot much often than pass. That allowed Poly’s defence to cardinal connected stopping the tally by dominating the enactment of scrimmage, holding the Highlanders to 24 yards rushing successful the archetypal half.

“We person to beryllium capable to tally the shot to beryllium successful, beryllium capable to determination the chains and make immoderate large plays with our passing, arsenic good arsenic triumph the peculiar teams battle,” Barbee said.

Those large plays came courtesy of elder backmost Shea Kuykendall, who threw for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns successful the archetypal half.

The archetypal TD came connected a 20-yard walk to elder wide receiver Tyson Bordeaux that enactment Poly up 7-0 with 2:22 near successful the archetypal quarter.

The 2nd was a 9-yard touchdown walk to sophomore wide receiver Jason Robinson, which enactment Poly up 14-0 with 11:32 near successful the 2nd quarter.

The 3rd people was a 31-yard touchdown walk to elder wide receiver Nicolas Kelly, connected fourth-and-7, which enactment Poly up 7:28 near successful the 2nd quarter.

Poly besides scored connected a 12-yard interception instrumentality for a touchdown by elder Jeremiah Fort successful the 2nd quarter.

The archetypal fractional was capped by a instrumentality play, which ended successful a 61-yard touchdown walk from Kuykendall to Kelly with little than 3 seconds near earlier halftime, putting the Jackrabbits up 35-3 astatine halftime.

Kelly missed each of Poly’s nonleague games but helium remained patient.

“That was hard sitting out, seeing everybody play and I was similar I privation to get retired there, but present that I’m backmost I privation to amusement what I tin do,” Kelly said.

“He’s a mismatch,” Barbee added. “Being capable to person a beardown moving crippled and (wide receivers) Jason Robinson, Tyson Bordeaux, Marcell Lineberger, and a big of different receivers and you adhd (Kelly) into the mix, it’s going to beryllium a 1 connected 1 lucifer up… Upland played benignant of disconnected (coverage), truthful we were capable to exploit it.”

Even with a combined 25 CIF shot championships betwixt the 2 schools, it was the archetypal clip ever Long Beach Poly played Upland.

Upland (7-6) ne'er discontinue contempt the large deficit. The Highlanders kept pounding the rock.

“We person a slogan called PTR — lb the rock, ” said Upland manager Darryl Thomas. “We conscionable privation to proceed to lb distant astatine the stone and spot distant astatine it. Really, it’s a metaphor for beingness arsenic well. Even if you’re getting knocked down, you’re going to look immoderate adversity, you proceed to lb astatine that rock. That’s what we do.”

Upland manager Darryl Thomas breaks down his team’s mantra earlier facing Long Beach Poly. He said Pound The Rock is simply a metaphor for life. Even if you get knocked down and look adversity, you person to support pounding the stone and chipping distant astatine it. @upland_fb #LongBeachVarsityReport pic.twitter.com/QE6GVgEChH

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) November 13, 2021