GARFIELD 22...L.A JORDAN 42...





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Jordan-Garfield has classic look

By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 01.NOV.07

Now that one mountain has been scaled, the Jordan High School football team is seeking a little respect.

With last Friday’s Eastern League title-clinching 42-22 victory over Garfield under their belts, the Bulldogs can set their sights on the regular-season finale with South Gate, then gain what they hope is proper respect from the City Section seeding committee for the upcoming playoffs.

Jordan (6-3, 4-0) is looking for something better than the No. 9 seed it got two years ago, which would have assured a first-round home game. In 2005, the Bulldogs won league, drew a No. 9 seed and had to travel to Venice, the runnerup from the Western League. Venice won a close battle.

“Hopefully, we’ll get at least an eighth seed,” Jordan coach Elijah Asante said. “We are the league champs, so we deserve it. We played a tough schedule. We played Esperanza, Edison, Dorsey, Locke. We beat a great Garfield team. We don’t duck anybody.

“I’m hoping fairness prevails (at the seeding meeting) because we deserve to get a home game in the first round.”

Asante is correct about the Bulldogs not ducking anybody over the past two years. They’ve taken their lumps facing such Southern Section powers as Esperanza and Edison and City power Dorsey. But it’s paying off.

They started this season 1-3, but have not lost since and figure to get past winless South Gate Friday. Because they played in week zero, the Bulldogs have a bye next week before going into the playoffs.

Asante felt a great deal of satisfaction in that his young squad was able to turn things around after going 3-7 in 2006.

“I kept preaching the same things to them, that to reach the next level, you need challenges and the challenge was the tough schedule,” he said.

Garfield (6-2, 3-1), which faces Roosevelt (4-4, 1-3) at East L.A. College Friday, played San Pedro tough earlier in the season, but was no match for the speed of Jordan.

“Jordan’s athleticism is phenomenal,” Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez said. “They have great skill guys. I think they can make some noise in the City playoffs because of their skill players.”

The most skilled player is junior quarterback James Boyd, who turned in another sterling performance against Garfield. In addition to completing 21 of 29 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns and running for three other scores, Boyd sacked Javier Alcantar twice and stripped the ball from him for a fumble that led to a Jordan touchdown in the first half.

Delvon Purvis had seven catches for 90 yards, Artis Smith had five for 118 and two TDs and Deshawn Beck added three for 36 and a score.

Glenn Johnson returned an interception 33 yards for a score and Purvis also had a pick.

“This is a talented group of young men,” Asante said. “It is a young group because they’re all back (next year) except for Smith.”