OK, Poly and Tesoro followers alike, dig into this one and let me know what you think . . .
TESORO (13-0/No. 3 seed) vs. POLY (13-0/No. 1 seed), Saturday, Angel Stadium, 7:30 p.m./Fox Sports Prime Ticket
THE MATCHUP: It's the first large school division final in the Southern Section with unbeatens since Poly and Mater Dei also met with 13-0 records in the Big Five title game in the Coliseum in 1997. The Jackrabbits prevailed in that tilt, 28-25. Neither team knocked out one of the other two top-four seeds, but Poly beat Lakewood (which defeated No. 4 Servite in the first round, 35-34) last week and Tesoro handled Orange Lutheran (which toppled No. 2 Notre Dame, 24-14, in the second round).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The game pits teams with two of the three best defenses in the Southern Section (I'd throw St. Bonaventure's into the mix as well). But the teams' offenses are dissimilar. Tesoro, led by quarterback Robbie Picazo, running back Zach Mitchell and multi-faceted wide receiver Preston King (he will also play cornerback and return kicks) is capable of exploiting defenses on the ground and via Picazo's right arm. The Jackrabbits, of course, have been almost exclusively a running team, led by the combination of Melvin Richardson and Daveon Barner.
The keys? Here we go: 1. How well can the mammoth and dominant offensive line of Tesoro pass- and run-block against the quickest and most relentless defense the Titans have seen? If Coach Brian Barnes' team can mount an effective running attack and give Picazo enough time to pick out his sure-handed receivers, Tesoro will score three or four times and that should be enough to enable the Titans to do a lot of post-game celebrating, and, 2. Can Richardson and/or Barner break off two or three scoring runs Saturday night? If the Titans are allowed to clog the Poly running lanes, that is going to be a difficult chore. Jackrabbits' quarterback Morgan Fennell isn't going to have to fill the Anaheim air with 20 to 25 passes, like Picazo could very well do. But Poly's offense will need at least some element of passing success against the Titans in order to complete defense of its Pac-5 title.
FRANK SAYS: Consecutive Tesoro victories over Mater Dei and (especially) Orange Lutheran, combined with the three hair-raising wins Coach Raul Lara's Hares have pulled out have probably put the Titans in position of favorites in this game in the minds of many. The outcome of this game is every bit as difficult to project as was the Poly-Lakewood contest.
But, I'll call it . . . Poly 17, Tesoro 14
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