No. 12 Sun Valley Poly earns City Section Division

Talk about unusual beginnings at Friday’s City Section Division I soccer playoff opener between Sun Valley Poly and host Marshall.

After the opening kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, Poly coach Boo Williams immediately called a timeout when he noticed his double-wing offense lining up with 12 gamers. After a dialogue, the next play was an unlawful process penalty on the Parrots.

Looking confused, the Parrots deserved an Academy Award for their appearing expertise, because on their third play, quarterback King Exusdus took the snap from shotgun formation and sprinted 82 yards for a landing.

Marshall, seeded No. 5 after its first 10-0 common season in college historical past, never discovered how to slow down the Parrots’ run-oriented assault and couldn’t overcome a sore shoulder that restricted quarterback Nathaniel Cadet’s capability to cross in a 20-0 loss to Twelfth-seeded Poly (10-1).

“Who says Poly can’t win a Division I playoff game?” Williams said.

With each short cross in pregame warmups, Cadet grabbed his proper shoulder as if he have been in pain — and he was. On Saturday, he couldn’t transfer his arm because of a contusion and sprain to his AC shoulder joint suffered in the regular-season finale last week against Eagle Rock.

All week, Cadet alternated between making use of ice and heat to his shoulder. He regarded at Instagram and discovered a shoulder sleeve designed to present help. He took 4 Advil tablets. The Barristers badly needed him. He got here in with 1,570 yards passing and 24 touchdowns, but on his second cross of the sport, he got here to the sideline in extreme pain revealing the problem he was going through. He ended up passing for just 55 yards and was intercepted twice.

For Poly — the East Valley League champions under Williams in his first 12 months as coach — the turnaround from a soccer program with little historical past of success to competing in City Division I has been meteoric. After issues at the start of the sport and a few unlawful process penalties, the Parrots ran the double wing to perfection, with 290-pound lineman Diego Rodriguez clearing a path like he was knocking down pins with a bowling ball.

Exusdus, often a receiver, completed with 174 yards speeding in 13 carries. Justice Brown rushed for 86 yards and caught Poly’s only cross, a 26-yard landing on fourth down from quarterback Alijah Ochoa.

“One pass, one touchdown, baby,” former Sylmar All-City quarterback Clarence Williams said. He’s the quarterback coach at Poly.

On protection, linebacker Stephon Boyd was all over the sector making tackles. Exusdus and Boyd used to attend Birmingham before arriving at Poly this season.

Exusdus is grateful just to be out on the sector. He missed all last season attending a continuation college as he tried to improve a grade-point average that he said was once below 1.0. Playing soccer in his senior 12 months made him start exhibiting up on time to practices and making progress in the classroom.

“I had to get everything right,” he said. “It motivated me. Seeing friends go Division I fueled me.”

It was a tough ending for a Marshall group that received the Northern League title and had not received a Division I playoff recreation since 2000. Poly strikes on to the quarterfinals and will face either Chatsworth or Banning.