Heading into their matchup against Lakewood on Friday, October 23, the Jackrabbits made some adjustments as they brought in a new offensive coordinator and named senior and Florida State commit Malik Henry their starting quarterback, replacing junior Nolan McDonald. Poly started off slow as they worked out their wrinkles and fell behind 14-7 in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, junior Aaron Shampklin returned the ball, sprinting across the entire length of the field, scoring to tie the game at 14-14. The Jackrabbits were able to finally gain their momentum after stopping the Lancers on the 2-yard line on fourth down and scoring on the very next play with a 98-yard touchdown pass from Henry to receiver Jack Jones. Jones’s impressive run gave Poly a 28-14 lead against the Lancers which they held for the rest of the game, winning with a final score of 35-21.
“The game was closer than we would’ve liked, but we were able to work on some things and we ultimately came out with a win, which I’m grateful for,” said junior linebacker Josh Brown.
On Friday, October 30, the Poly Jackrabbits took on their Atlantic Avenue rivals, the Jordan Panthers. It was senior night for the Jackrabbits which meant it was the last guaranteed home game of the seniors’s careers. Poly won their last home game with a final score of 53-9. Poly started off strong, lead by Henry who was 14-22 for 214 yards, and throwing three touchdowns.
“It’s surreal,” said Henry, “It’s hard to believe my last year of high school football is almost over.”
Senior Jack Jones also made a statement on the field in his final game as he finished with five catches for 97-yards and a touchdown.
In his debut at running back, junior Aaron Shampklin had 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns while only carrying the ball twice.
The win over the Lancers was a great way for the seniors to continue to dominate the Moore League and hope to carry their success into the postseason.
“Luckily, we’re coming together at the right time, heading into playoffs our offense and defense are both playing really well right now, so we’ll be prepared in time for the bigger competition outside of Moore League” said junior safety Josh Talbott.
The Jackrabbits will play the Millikan Rams in their final regular season game, Friday, November 6 to finish off their successful Moore League record for the 2015-2016 season.
After a faceoff with the Rams, Poly looks to extend their season well into the postseason.
In preparation, the Jackrabbits are using these last few games as a chance to fine-tune their game execution to prepare for the grueling CIF playoffs beginning soon on Friday, November 13.
The Jackrabbits expect to make a good running in the postseason even after rearranging positions among the team.
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