http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_21496992/high-school-football-narbonne-shuts-out-long-beach



"Real Deal" Gauchos makes a clear statement, inflicting a historic rout on traditional power Jackrabbits.
By Tony Ciniglio, Staff Writer Inside SOCAL
Posted: DailyBreeze.com


PHOTO GALLERY
As the touchdowns continued to pile up, running back Tony Gates and the rest of the Narbonne football team seemed to be in a state of disbelief.

"I kept asking, `Is this really happening?' This was a bit of a shocker," Gates said with a big grin.

It was a demolition derby.

When the dust cleared, Narbonne had dismantled Long Beach Poly for a stunningly one-sided 56-0 nonleague victory Friday night.

Narbonne (2-0) handed Poly (1-2) its most lopsided loss in the program's proud history in a game in which the fourth quarter was played with a running clock, unprecedented in Poly lore.

Poly had delivered plenty of beatdowns of its own, but never was on the receiving end of one like this.

"We didn't put Poly on a pedestal," Williams said. "They intimidate a lot of people with the name on the front of their jersey.

"Look out for us. We're a City team, but we can hang with any (CIF Southern Section) team. We're going to keep working hard."

Narbonne appeared bowl-ready as it makes a bid for its first CIF State Bowl.

Narbonne coach Manuel Douglas said his defense delivered a "statement game," recording its second straight shutout to start the season.

"Dominant," Douglas said. "No one expects to beat them 56-0. I felt comfortable we would do well if we did not turn the ball over. It was a statement for the defense, and the offense was doing so well. We didn't even need to pass because we were running the ball so well."

The most ringing endorsement came from Poly coach Raul Lara.

"Narbonne is the real deal," Lara said. "They kicked our butt."

Williams completed 11 of 14 passes for 151 yards. He added three rushing scores.

Gates had 75 yards on 10 carries, including a 40-yard scoring run on Narbonne's opening possession.

Narbonne had already surpassed its 41-point total of last week against Palos Verdes in jumping to a commanding 42-0 halftime lead.

"We weren't expecting to come out like that," Gates said, still in disbelief. "We came out with a boom."

Narbonne set the tone on the opening play as Paulo Lepua smashed into Poly running back Gerard Wicks for a 2-yard loss.

"I just came out with a mentality that I was going to start this off," Lepua said. "I'm the first line of defense. And the rest of the team did follow."

Poly went 3-and-out on its first series, and Narbonne's Cal-bound A.J. Richardson had a 48-yard punt return to get Narbonne rolling.

Two plays later, Gates scored on a 40-yard scamper, and the rout was just beginning.

Narbonne needed just two plays on its next possession to take a 14-0 lead when Troy Williams connected with Richardson for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Williams padded the lead to 21-0 with a 16-yard scoring run with 20.1 seconds left in the first quarter.

Williams also had a 12-yard scoring run for a 28-0 lead with 9:37 left in the first half.

Narbonne's defense got in on the action when Kwentin Polk had a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown with 8:24 left.

"I felt I had to contribute in some way. I had been real quiet last year and even so far this year," Polk said. "I felt confident. We worked on positioning all week at practice, and the coaches put me in the exact right spot. Right place at the right time.

"Our defense was on point the whole game. And we actually stepped up as a team."

For good measure, Narbonne running back Johnell Jackson (12 carries, 48 yards, two TDs) scored on a 12-yard scoring run with 11 seconds left for a 42-0 halftime lead.

"We just kept telling ourselves that it's not over yet. They have such a great tradition, so we knew we could not take the foot off the pedal," Williams said.

Poly managed just 20 first-quarter yards and just 59 first-half yards. Poly netted only one first down in the first half - with 1:35 left in the first half.

The hits kept coming.

Jackson had a 19-yard scoring run in the third quarter for a 49-0 lead, and Williams capped the scoring with a 5-yard end-around run for the final margin.

Polk and Lejon Fisher finished with interceptions. Lepua was all over the field. Keishawn Bierria was once again a ringleader for a defense that allowed just 115 total yards and two first downs.

"I'm not shocked," Bierria said. "When our offense and defense and special teams all play well, we can do some big things."

Bierria said there was extra motivation for Narbonne. Defensive coordinator Joe Aguirre's wife had a son on Thursday, yet he was there for his team.

"That was motivation," Bierria said. "We wanted to give him something great. But this isn't it. We're going to make state for him. And for us."