Roosevelt ridin’ high; Jefferson a surprise winner

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Last year Roosevelt did not win its second game until Oct. 27, and only won two of 10 games in the 2006 season. So it’s understandable that the Rough Riders are a bit giddy about starting this season 2-0 after upending Wilson, 20-17, in double overtime. ‘We are off to nice start,’ said Coach Javier Cid, now in his second year. ‘We brought in a new program, with a different offense and defense. A lot of our kids were first year varsity last year. We’re doing the same things as last year, just a little better.’

Also raising eyebrows on a smaller scale was Jefferson beating Gardena on the road, 20-12, in its season opener. Like Roosevelt, the Democrats were also 2-8 in 2006. They opened with five straight losses and didn’t win their first game until Oct. 13. ‘This was a big step,’ said Jefferson Coach Doi Johnson, adding he received quite a few calls asking how his team pulled off the upset. ‘It was a gut check because Gardena had a chance to come back and tie or win. Gardena is big and fast and talented. But we think the Coliseum League is the most physical league and our kids are prepared for that kind of game. They saw Gardena as a challenge, but it wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before.’

It will be interesting to see how many more steps these teams will take. Both are considered young teams that are still a year or so away from challenging for playoff slots. Johnson, for one, is not looking that far ahead. ‘Let us get through the second game,’ he said. ‘Let’s see how we battle next week against L.A. High. Right now I want us to grow and learn from each game.’

- Mike Terry