As might be expected this early in the season, defenses were a little ahead of offenses Friday afternoon when St. John Bosco visited Poly for a scrimmage. The Braves managed to put the ball in the end zone three times, but one of those came on a 65-yard punt return by transfer Dalis Bruce.
"I was happy with the way we played against the run," said SJB coach Jason Negro, "... but we need to improve our pass rush."
The Braves, ranked No. 8 in the state by MaxPreps, held Poly's ground game in check with good work from its front four and linebackers. In the secondary, Bruce made several nice plays, including an interception of Chaiyse Hales, and Charles Redd also had an interception.
Poly's defense was led by the outstanding play of senior cornerback Randall Goforth. He held Cal-bound receiver Bryce Treggs without a catch, which was not lost on Jackrabbits coach Raul Lara.
"(Goforth) shut down their best guy," Lara told his team in its post-game huddle.
Poly's lone TD came late in the scrimmage on a one-yard pass from Hales to 6-foot-4 senior Josiah Blandin. Senior kicker Hayden Hunt added a 31-yard field goal that was good despite being partially blocked.
Royce Moore added a 40-yard TD run for SJB and kicker Christian Wehrly booted the ball out of the end zone twice on kickoffs.
The Braves open their season at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at home against Mission Hills from the San Diego Section. Poly, ranked 18th in the state by MaxPreps, travels to No. 24 Sacramento Grant on Sept. 3.
Yards hard to come by at SJB-Poly scrimmage
About the Bloggers
Prep Sports Editor Dave Werstine has worked in and around the greater Long Beach area covering high school sports since the mid-1980s. Dave sums up his own athletic career as a "Jack of all trades and a master of none." Whether the ball is kicked, hit or thrown, Dave enjoys being part of it. If you have game, e-mail opinions, story ideas or news tips to dave.werstine@dailybreeze.com.
David Felton is a lifelong sports fan who began covering prep athletics in 1990. He's lived and worked in Long Beach since 2000 and has developed a deep respect and appreciation for the athletic history of this community. Email him at dave.felton@dailybreeze.com.
Robert Morales began covering prep sports in the greater Long Beach area in 2007. When a local football coach asked him how he felt about reporting on preps after many years of covering boxing, auto racing and various other sports, he replied, "Hey, if I'm going to cover prep sports anywhere, I'm glad it's this area because of the level of athletics, the intensity displayed by the athletes and coaches and the support of the community." Email him at robert.morales@dailybreeze.com.
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