More Moore League mastery?

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 9 in the Southland by The Times and seventh in the state by MaxPreps.com hasn’t lost a Moore League game in quite a while, but Lakewood gets first crack at the Jackrabbits this year in a league opener Friday night at Veterans Stadium.

Lakewood Coach Thadd MacNeal and the Lancers (2-2) are looking forward to the challenge and the gut-check.

‘We’re ready for it and we’re excited to play them. It’s a good gauge for us to be able to see where we’re at,’ MacNeal said. ‘It’s helps us get ready for what we have to face in our league, and as far as the playoffs go, you know Poly’s going to be there.’

The Jackrabbits (3-1), who have claimed 26 Moore League titles since 1980 and won 16 Southern Section championships overall, have won 67 consecutive league games since a 28-0 loss to Long Beach Jordan in the seventh week of the 1994 season.

‘We really don’t talk about the streak very much,’ Lara said. ‘We only do it to let the kids know what the other team is probably thinking, like, ‘Everybody’s talking about that streak, and just think how that other team feels.’

‘Don’t you think they’re getting tired of hearing about it, that they’d like to do something about it?’

Poly still finished in a three-way tie for the league title in ‘94, and has won 12 Moore titles in a row since, so the Jackrabbits might hardly know what to do if they lose.

‘Obviously, we don’t want that to happen,’ Lara said. ‘It’s just something we are not used to. We just gotta be ready for anything that comes before us.’

Friday night, that will be Lakewood, which is coming off a 48-8 victory over La Palma Kennedy. See details of that game in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Poly defeated the Lancers, 35-9, in a regular-season finale last season that both teams entered with 5-0 league records.

- Lauren Peterson