The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
Long Beach Poly walked into Millikan’s DeHaven Stadium with a 15-year long Moore League win streak and the rep of being the best team in the city for that stretch. The Rams walked off the field with this year’s Moore League crown, and a historic win over the Jackrabbits, the first by a Moore League opponent since 2009. The Rams trailed by two scores at halftime but got an all-time performance from running back Anthony League in the second half.
League’s 258 rushing yards and four scores powered the Rams to a 53-40 come from behind victory over the Jackrabbits, as Poly had no answers for Millikan’s ground and pound attack.
“We wanted it,” said Millikan coach Romeo Pellum. “Our kids wanted it more. They were hungry. They left it all on the field today, and that’s what we needed to beat that team.”
League finished with 27 carries for 258 yards and four touchdowns, part of a 300+ yard rushing attack that piled up six touchdowns for Millikan. The win snaps a 15-year 81-game league win streak for Poly, the second longest win streak in state history.
“Anthony League is the best running back in California,” said Pellum. “THE best. I stamped it.”
League ran with physicality and dominated the second half, leading his team back from a 26-14 deficit to a 39-14 second half.
“My mind is blank when I’m running, whoever’s in my face I’m either gonna make a move or I’m gonna run through you,” said League. “Half the time they were in my face, so I had to run through them.”
League was excited to get the win for his team in front of a sold-out crowd.
“Me moving here it was a goal to get a Moore League championship,” said League. “This is the next step to doing so, and I couldn’t be happier that I made this move.”
The game started auspiciously for the Jackrabbits, as a penalty-filled drive halted Millikan’s opening series at midfield, forcing a punt. After Poly’s first drive stalled as well and they punted it away, the Rams return man muffed the punt and Poly’s Jonathan Weston fell on it. Five plays later Poly scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Deuce Jefferson to Kamarie Smith that made it 6-0 following a five-minute Poly drive.
The Rams’ next drive went three-and-out, and Poly drove 70 yards with nice runs and completions from Jefferson, who scampered for 20 yards, hit Jayde Coley twice, and then handed off to Ben Harris for a 19-yard touchdown sprint that made it 12-0.
That seemed to wake up the Rams, who answered back with a touchdown drive of their own, which featured Anthony League rushing but also some nice completions from QB JP Mialovski. The highlight was League picking up eight punishing yards on a 4th and 7 on Poly territory, then Mialovski hitting Kato Keohaname on a 19 yard strike to make it a one score game.
Poly answered quickly, as Jefferson hit Ezekiel Orozco for a 31 yard strike, and then Smith for another 10 yards to get into Millikan’s red zone. From there the speedster Ben Harris took it in again, in the middle of a rugby scrum led by his offensive linemen.
The Rams were the beneficiaries of a great return and two bad Poly personal fouls that let them start their next drive on Poly’s eight yard line. The Rams didn’t let them off the hook, pounding forward with two League runs, and then a touchdown dive by Aisa Taeleifi that made it 19-14 Poly with less than two minutes left.
The Jackrabbits didn’t waste their opportunity to go into halftime up two scores, going 68 yards in a two-minute drill, with Jefferson hitting Orozco and Harris for big gains, then scoring with 12 seconds left in the half on a nine-yard dot to tight end Jaden Hernandez that made it 26-14 at the break.
But that’s where the game switched. The Jackrabbits came out looking complacent, and the Rams came out looking hungry. Poly went for it on fourth and one at their own 44 on their first drive of the third quarter and came up short. League ran in a 44-yard touchdown on the next play. After a Poly three and out, League scored a 65 yard touchdown that was called back on a hold. Mialovski ended up hitting Ethan Naudin for a 57 yard score that gave them a 29-26 lead less than four minutes into the third.
Poly retook the lead on a 24-yard score by Ben Harris, but the Rams answered with a Xavier Jones TD. Poly got a touchdown from Jefferson to Zion Anderson to retake the lead 40-35 early in the fourth, but Millikan got a 38-yard score from League with nine minutes left and took command at that point. Poly receiver Dylin Bruce fumbled it on the next drive, and a League TD made it 47-40 Rams. Jefferson was picked off by Malik Stacy, which set up the game-clinching touchdown by League.
The game is a new highwater mark for the Rams, who’ve been building for the last several seasons.
“It’s a testament to my coaches,” said Pellum. “A lot of these guys have been with me since the beginning. It’s been a lot of hard work. It was a first season, we’re three and seven. We just put our head down and grind. This team started in the summer, and this team is relentless.”
Speaking of relentless, when asked how he’d be celebrating his program’s first win over the Jackrabbits in 15 years, Pellum was already moving on to the next goal for his team.
“I’ll be here,” he said. “I’ll be here in the morning, because understand, we got Lakewood next week and that’s another big one.”
Millikan will travel to the Lancers for the Hamilton Trophy rivalry game while Long Beach Poly will travel to Wilson next week.
