The Stephen Barbee era at Long Beach Poly got off on the right foot as the Jackrabbits dominated Dorsey in an opening-game showdown between two historic public school programs. Poly scored every time they touched the ball for the first half and held the Dons scoreless through three quarters in an eventual 37-8 win.
“I thought our offense executed and I thought our defense looked like a special group,” said first-year coach Barbee, who is now 1-0.
It was a complete game win for Poly. The offense looked mostly crisp with sophomore QB CJ Montes running the show; Montes was 11/17 for 158 yards and two touchdowns, hitting six different receivers. Running backs DeAngelo Chester and Jaden Wade led the way for a rushing attack that put up 100 yards on 17 carries, while receiver Keon Markham stole the show.
Markham had a 38-yard touchdown reception for Poly’s first trip to the end zone this season, then followed it up with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half.
“I was just excited to have a game, we’ve been ready,” said Markham.
Defensively, the Jackrabbits were electric. They had six sacks, three takeaways, and a touchdown, a dominant effort led by senior defensive lineman Elijah Dolphin, who had three sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception return for a touchdown on a screen he sniffed out.
“I could have executed better on a few other plays but yeah, I’m pretty happy with it,” he said with a smile after the game.
Bryson Parham, Daylen Fuller, and Chuck Taylor also had sacks, and they held Dorsey to under 50 net yards of offense in the first half.
The going will get tougher for Poly right away, as they host Narbonne at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday.
