La Cañada, CA — LA CAÑADA — Long Beach Poly did to St. Francis what it did to everyone in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 football playoffs. Rolled right past them. St. Francis coach Dean Herrington was worried about giving up big plays to the more athletic Jackrabbits, but it wasn’t big plays that beat his team. It was a good, old-fashioned pound-it-down-your-throat run game. Long Beach Poly (11-3) never punted and junior running back Devin Samples was nearly unstoppable, carrying the ball 38 times for 220 yards and three touchdowns as the Jackrabbits went on to win their 20th section title and first since 2012 with a 38-7 victory on the road over the Golden Knights (10-3). In Poly’s final three playoff victories, it outscored its opponents 122-10 “He’s a heck of a football player,” Herrington said of Samples. “They have the speed on the outside and the height, so you kind of have to pick you poison against them. Our kids played their butts off, what can you do?” St. Francis’ senior running back Max Garrison, who will next play at San Diego State, was held in check most of the night, finishing with just eight carries for 29 yards as the Golden Knights failed to win their first championship since winning back-to-back titles in 1963 and ‘64. Joshua Cason added 133 yards and a touchdown for Long Beach Poly, which outrushed St. Francis by a whopping margin, 388-20. It wasn’t the way Herrington, in his first season in charge, hoped it would go. But Poly, the top seed, was just too good. “They’re a very physical team,” Herrington said. “Their offensive line is real physical and we were a little beat up at the defensive tackle spot, but give them credit, they did a great job.” As Garrison hugged his teammates after, he offered no excuses. “They’re a good football team and we just didn’t get it done tonight,” Garrison said. “Poly is a great program, great team, but the way we fought tonight and kept going, I’m proud. I love this school.” St. Francis’ nerves showed early, fumbling on its opening series with Poly’s Malik Brown recovering at the Golden Knights’ 35. The Jackrabbits quickly capitalized with Samples’ 5-yard run for a 7-0 lead. St. Francis and quarterback Jack Jacobs answered quickly. After Jacobs completed a 57- yard pass to Jet McCullough, Jacobs finished the drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Bell to tie the score, 7-7. Jacobs had a decent night, completing 10 of 20 passes for 176 yards and the TD. With Poly threatening again, Diego Jimenez came up with a touchdown saving interception for St. Francis soon after, but the Golden Knights couldn’t cash it in. Instead, Samples went back to work, scoring on a 5-yard TD run and again on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter that gave the Jackrabbits a 21-7 lead. The Golden Knights nearly got a touchdown back just before the half. St. Francis faked a 25-yard FG attempt on the final play, but couldn’t convert the TD strike, allowing the Jackrabbits to take a 14-point lead at half. “We had our shots there,” Herrington said. “On the fake field goal we were wide open, we just didn’t execute it. It could have been 21-14 and it’s a different game, but we didn’t capitalize.” After a field goal extended the Jackrabbits’ lead, Cason scored from a yard out to push them ahead ever further, 31-7, and that was that.