By STEPHEN ACOSTA, Contributing Writer It look nine seconds late in the first quarter for Poly to take control of Friday night’s CIF-SS Division 10 playoff opener at South Pasadena High School. Brady Carter hit Christian Henderson on a 75-yard touchdown, and one play later, Will McConnell picked off Pacifica quarterback Ben Johnson and brought […]
By STEPHEN ACOSTA, Contributing Writer
It look nine seconds late in the first quarter for Poly to take control of Friday night’s CIF-SS Division 10 playoff opener at South Pasadena High School.
Brady Carter hit Christian Henderson on a 75-yard touchdown, and one play later, Will McConnell picked off Pacifica quarterback Ben Johnson and brought it back 20 yards for the score.
Poly then held off the Mariners, 23-15, and advance to face Aquinas next Friday.
Both schools had designated home games, so a coin toss will determine the location of the game.
The Panthers defense collected five interceptions and four sacks against the visiting Mariners of Garden Grove.
McConnell was responsible for intercepting Ben Jefferson three times, one of which he returned for a 20-yard touchdown at 1:46 in the first quarter.
“We had a good defensive scheme going and we watched a lot of film,” said McConnell. “We had a good idea what the offense was going to do and we just took advantage of the opportunities the offense gave us.”
The Poly defense only allowed 12 yards rushing.
Brady Carter also went on to pick off a pass, he did the punting chores, threw for the score and caught a 10-yard scoring pass from quarterback John Genske.
The Mariners were able to score their two touchdowns through the air on Jefferson’s arm.
Jefferson completed eight of his 30 pass passing attempts for 242 yards and five interceptions.
Pacifica’s Syrus Collins had 3 catches for 103 yards and Matt Moslenko caught 3 passes for 92 yards.
The two second-half scores game on big plays.
Collins caught an 89-yard scoring pass from Jefferson and Moslenko was a 48-yard strike from Jefferson.
“It’s a tough loss for us and Pasadena Poly came out to play tonight,” said Coach Vinnie Lopez. “It’s tough to win a game win when you have five turnovers. We tip our hats to them (Poly).”
Quotable:
Poly coach Chris Schmoke: “We feel really good about our kids. They’re not the biggest, but they fly around and work hard and are coachable. Our defense has been money. They stepped up again tonight. The kids were smart and within themselves.”
Pacifica coach Vinnie Lopez: “Our kids didn’t come ready to play and Pasadena Poly did. We’ve got a good group of kids. They’ve battled all season and they’re young. It took some time to settle in and came back in the second half. Our defense had more yards in the other direction than our offense.
Poly’s Brady Carter: “Defense came out and locked down. I am not sure they knew what hit them. When you have that many things to do, I am just focused (on doing my job). Coming from Division 13, I think teams are going to be surprised what we can do.”
Poly’s Will McConnell: “We had a good scheme going and watched a lot of film, so we knew what was coming (a lot of the time). We switched up our defense between man and zone and our defensive line did a great job. We all felt nervous before the game, but once you step on the field, you feel the energy. We’re going to practice hard, watch a lot of film and come out ready to play.”
Box Score:
Pacifica: 0-0-7-8 (15)
Pasadena: 13-10-0-0 (23)
Scoring:
Poly: Christian Henderson 75 pass from Brady Carter at 1:55 1Q (Josh Hee kick)
Poly: Will McConnell 20 yard interception return at 1:46 1Q (Hee kicked blocked)
Poly: Hee 30-yard field goal at 11:03 2Q
Poly: Brady Carter 10 pass from John Genske at 2:14 2Q (Hee kick good)
Pacifica: Syrus Collins 89 pass from Ben Jefferson at 11:403Q (James Olson kick)
Pacifica: Matt Moslenko 48 pass from Jefferson at 2:38 4Q (Moslenko 3 pass from Jefferson convert 2pt)
Offensive Leaders:
Passing: Ben Jefferson (Pacifica) 8 of 30 for 242 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs; John Genske (Poly) 9 of 23 for 87 yards, 1 TD; Brady Carter (Poly) 1 of 1 for 75 yards, 1 TD.
Rushing: Brady Carter (Poly) 7 for 38 yards; Cameron McFarlane (Poly) 9 for 27 yards; Jackson Hayes (Poly) 6 for 23 yards
Receiving: Syrus Collins (Pacifica) 3 catches for 103 yards; Matt Moslenko (Pacifica) 3 catches for 92 yards, 1 TD; Christian Henderson (Poly) 2 catches for 84 yards, 1 TD; Brady Carter (Poly) 2 catches for 31 yards, 1 TD
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