The Moore League schedule gets underway tonight with the game all fans have been looking forward to between Long Beach Poly and Millikan at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m.
“I know it’s one everyone’s excited for, we’re hoping to come out and have a good showing,” said Poly coach Stephen Barbee.
READ MORE about Poly and Millikan in our Midseason Report Cards
The game will pit the two best Moore League teams against each other on opening night, with the defending league champion Jackrabbits hosting the top contenders in the Rams. Millikan is the last Moore League team to beat Poly on the field in 2009 when Alden Darby led his team to a 35-34 overtime victory.
“Our kids looking been looking forward to the game, any time you play a team like Poly you get to measure yourself,” said Rams coach Justin Utupo.
In the eight years since the 2009 upset, Poly has won every game by a combined score of 442-15. Millikan hasn’t scored against Poly since 2015, but the 28-0 game last year between these teams was the slimmest margin of league victory for the Jackrabbits.
The game should be a low-scoring affair since both teams’ defenses have been their strengths this year. The Jackrabbits offense has struggled to get in gear at times and is likely to look a lot different against the Rams after Poly’s nonleague schedule saw their aerial attack falter.
“They know what they’re doing on defense, they’re very well-coached and they come down hill,” said Barbee of the Rams.
Millikan meanwhile has the receiving core to test Poly’s secondary and a quarterback that can extend plays with his feet, something he may have to do if the Rams line struggles to control the Poly defensive line, which might be the best unit on the field tonight.
We’ll have live updates, articles, videos, and photos from tonight’s game.
