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Bulldogs’ Road to Finals Goes First Through Fairfax

Mario Villegas
Exclusive to EGP

After a stunning defeat to Eagle Rock in the 2006 championship game of the City Section Invitational finals, a frustrated Garfield Coach Lorenzo Hernandez may have left the Coliseum wondering how long it would be before the Bulldogs would be back there.

It could be much sooner than he thought because Garfield is only a victory away, as the Bulldogs advanced to Friday night’s semifinals and play Fairfax at 7 at home.

“If somebody would have said to me that we would be back in the finals, I would have laughed because we lost so many players to graduation,” Hernandez said,

The second-seeded Bulldogs (9-3) defeated El Camino Real, 21-13, on the eve of Thanksgiving to advance to its semifinal date with Fairfax (8-4). The Lions defeated South East, 22-15, in last Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

Fairfax is explosive and its spread offense could give a Garfield team that has had problems defending against passing teams trouble.

“They have a lot of talented athletes and really are a 4-A (Championship Division) team playing in the Invitational,” Hernandez said. “This is a game that we’re going to have to win at the line of scrimmage, and, fortunately, our defense has been getting better.”

Garfield limited El Camino Real to only 10 yards of total offense in the first half of last week’s quarterfinal at Garfield, but the Bulldogs had to hold off the determined Conquistadores (5-7) in the fourth quarter to come away with the win.

After El Camino Real pulled to within 14-13 early in the fourth quarter, Garfield went on a 13-play, 61-yard drive with Sergio Macedo scoring on a 9-yard touchdown run to seal its victory.

Macedo led a potent Garfield rushing attack with 148 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. His first touchdown came on a 46-yard run early in the second half. Franky Diaz carried a game-high 27 times to add 119 yards and a touchdown.

El Camino Real used a 62-yard TD run by quarterback Bradly Pak in the third quarter to get on the scoreboard. In the fourth quarter, the Conquistadores took advantage of a mishandled punt to pull to within 14-13 on an 8-yard TD run by Rashon Harper. But the Conquistadores were penalized 15 yards for excessive celebrating and the long extra-point attempt failed.



The photo above by Mario Villegas features Garfield High School running back Sergio Macedo scoring on a 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the Bulldogs’ victory over El Camino Real. Garfield plays Fairfax in a City Section Invitational semifinal Friday at home.