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This Classic will have title attached


By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 13.NOV.08

It isn’t enough neighborhood pride will be at stake in the 74th edition of the East L.A. Classic.


An Eastern League title and positioning for the upcoming City Section football playoffs will also be on the line when Roosevelt and Garfield high schools meet in front of crowd expected to exceed 20,000 at East L.A. College in the regular-season finale Friday. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.


Roosevelt, which leads the all-time series, 39-27-7, takes records of 8-1 overall and 5-0 in league into the contest. Garfield, tied for second with Jordan, is 5-4 and 4-1.


“That the league title is on the line makes it even more special,” Roosevelt coach Javier Cid said. “I was actually rooting for Garfield to beat Jordan last week (Jordan won, 48-29), so both of us would be 5-0 going into the game.


“If we win, we win the title outright, which Roosevelt hasn’t done since 2002.”


“We really want to get a share of the title,” Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez said.


To do that, the Bulldogs will have to do a better job of pass defense than last week when Jordan amassed 441 yards and seven touchdowns (five by quarterback James Boyd) through the air.


Roosevelt, which is led by senior quarterback Jesse Diaz, runs a spread offense similar to Jordan, but Hernandez adds, “I don’t think they have quite the speed Jordan has.


“There have been times we’ve struggled against good passing teams. Hopefully, we can put some pressure on Diaz. We got to Boyd a few times, although he was pretty hard to bring down.”


Diaz, wide receiver Manny Ayon and a running back-by-committee approach that is led by Jonathan Alatriste, gets most of the attention for Roosevelt.


But Hernandez isn’t overlooking the Rough Rider defense.


“Their defense is really good, especially their middle linebacker (Rafael Ortega),” he said. “He’s really quick to the ball.”


Garfield attempts to counter Roosevelt’s quick-striking offense with a power-oriented ground attack that is built around Sergio Macedo (760 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Franky Diaz (326 yards, one TD). Fullback Omar Hernandez is a short-yardage threat.


Senior quarterback Patrick Vargas, who has thrown for 1,173 yards and 12 touchdowns, has given the Bulldogs a little more balance than it has had in the past.


Defensively, backs Dominic Lam and Lanny Delgado are among the best in the City when it comes to pass coverage.


Rising to the occasion is no concern for Hernandez when it comes to Garfield.


“Our guys always play to the level of the competition,” he said.


Source: WaveNewspapers.com