Long Beach Poly tops Tustin in thriller for first win under Justin Utupo ...Middle East

LONG BEACH — Down 21-0 in the second quarter, it looked like the Long Beach Poly football team was doomed for a third consecutive loss.

But thanks to a stellar second-half performance by sophomore Zion Anderson, Poly pulled away for a 28-27 win against Tustin on Friday night at Veterans Stadium.

It was Poly’s first win under head coach Justin Utupo.

Fast forward to the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Anderson had scored the go-ahead touchdown, a 46-yard catch earlier in the quarter, that gave Poly a one-point lead. With the game winding down, Tustin was driving down the field searching for the lead and win.

As Tustin quarterback Ayden Edwards aimed a ball for the end zone, the ball ricocheted off two Poly defensive players and into the hands of Anderson, securing the win for the Jackrabbits.

“As soon as I’d seen that ball, I knew I had to go get that,” Anderson said. “I tried to take it home, but I couldn’t do it. Still grateful for the opportunity though.”

The first half was a struggle for Poly (1-2).

Tustin (2-1) came out of the gate swinging, scoring 21 straight points.

Edwards and receiver Hayden Koo were practically unstoppable in the first half. The duo scored Tustin’s first 14 points with back-to-back touchdown passes, one from 34 yards and the other from 33 yards.

The Jackrabbits’ secondary struggled through the first two quarters, giving up 105 yards through the air.

Offensively, Poly quarterback Deuce Jefferson made little impact early on struggling to find open receivers and throwing one interception early in the second quarter to Tustin defensive back Brannon Hampton.

Tillers running back Jeremiah Williams capitalized on the turnover to extend the lead to 21-0.

Poly finally found a spark late in the second quarter with a big 51-yard pass from Jefferson to receiver Jayden Coley. Senior Jaden Hernandez capped off the drive with a 15-yard touchdown to go into the half down 21-7.

“Next play mentality. We still have a lot of fight in us,” Utupo said was his message to his players during halftime.

The Jackrabbits started the third quarter with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Coley.

But Tustin immediately answered back with a 63-yard catch and run touchdown by Rufai Azeez to extend the lead 27-14.

Poly fought back and Jefferson connected with Andeson for a 46-yard touchdown pass to bring the score within six points late in the third.

The fourth quarter brought lots of anxiety for both sides. Early in the quarter, a catch in the end zone by Poly’s Donte Wright Jr. was ruled incomplete by the referees, prompting the anger of the Poly fans.

That would all change when Anderson came in to score the go-ahead touchdown and, eventually, the game winning interception.

“I’m just proud of this team. It’s so hard to get wins. We’re going to celebrate this one and then it’s back to work,” said Utupo.

The Jackrabbits will begin Moore League play in two weeks when they face off against Long Beach Jordan on Sept. 19.

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