North Hollywood’s defense controlled the game, holding Poly to 69 yards of total offense

The North Hollywood Huskies and the Poly Parrots entered their Friday night rivalry game with strong showings so far this season. The Parrots were 3-1, with their only loss coming by one point to the San Fernando Tigers back in Week 1. The Huskies came in at 3-0, having dismantled East Valley League rival, and resident Goliath 49-14 on Friday, September 20. Not only was this battle for rivalry bragging rights and the trophy that comes along with it, the winner of this contest would essentially be in control of the East Valley League. North Hollywood would stake its claim with a 43-0 victory behind touchdowns from two of their senior captains – three from Omar Muhammed and two from Jagger Belson. 

The Huskies received the opening kickoff, and as per coach Scott Faer’s style, they pounded the ball in the running game. Poly had a moment where they had forced a 4th and 8 early in the drive, but North Hollywood senior quarterback Nate Arlauskas was able to draw the defense offside on a hard count. The Huskies made the Parrots pay after that mistake, converting that fourth down attempt and another one later in the drive en route to a nine minute drive that culminated in Muhammed’s first rushing touchdown of the game from six yards out.

Poly did not take their first offensive snap of the game until there was under 2:25 left in the first quarter, and the North Hollywood defense was eager to take the ball back. From the opening play of the drive, Huskies senior defensive lineman Eddie Estrada made his presence known. He stuffed Damien Rosales in the backfield for a two-yard loss. 

“No matter what (Rosales) is going to come out and play hard.” said Parrots coach Derrell Daniels after the game. “I tip my hat to him every single Friday night.” Daniels went on to praise the efforts of Emmanuel Reyes and Armando Juarez even as the score was becoming more lopsided. “Those guys, they kept on fighting.”

Estrada essentially lived in the Parrots’ backfield the entire night, leading the defensive charge. North Hollywood only allowed two runs of over 10 yards on the night, and those were both quarterback scrambles by junior George Flores on broken pass plays.

“(Estrada) killed it all week in practice,” commented Faer. “Everything that he showed in practice (he brought) out here on Friday night lights. (It was) amazing. Eddie played out of his mind.”

After a quick 3-and-out on that opening possession, Poly punted the ball away. Muhammed fielded the punt and proceeded to take the ball 64 yards deep into Parrots’ territory. Unfortunately for the Huskies, the drive was short lived. A few plays in, Belson was charged with a fumble that Poly recovered after a 5-yard gain. Belson was adamant that he released the ball at the officials whistle ending the play, but there is no coaches challenge in high school football.

The Parrots were eager to capitalize on the momentum of the turnover, but the Huskies defense again squashed those hopes. Muhammed intercepted Flores on a pass towards the sideline, and North Hollywood regained possession deep in Poly territory. On the ensuing drive, Belson redeemed himself with an 11-yard touchdown run to put the Huskies ahead 14-0 near the midway point of the second quarter. They would add another touchdown late in the opening half on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Arlauskas to senior Kelley Warburton and North Hollywood would enter the halftime break with a 21-0 lead.

Poly would start the second half with possession, but the drive would again end prematurely on a turnover. Belson would capitalize quickly for the Huskies, breaking free for a 19-yard touchdown just 39 seconds into the second half. The Huskies would hold a 29-0 lead following a successful 2-point conversion. Later in the third quarter, North Hollywood would add two more touchdowns in quick succession to trigger a running clock and end any hope of a Parrots comeback. The first was a 69-yard run from Muhammed midway through the period, and he capped the scoring with a 38-yard dash less than two minutes later.

“I feel like our guys are playing extremely good team football, and the results are paying off right now,” Faer said, “everything is about the team.”

Poly will attempt to bounce back from this disappointing loss when they host Monroe next Friday evening. Meanwhile, North Hollywood travels just down the road to Grant for what appears to be an enticing matchup. The Lancers will be looking to rebound from a tight 14-7 loss to the Chavez Eagles this past Friday night.