Thanks, Birmingham, we needed that

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After Birmingham beat Long Beach Poly, 20-7, on Sept. 7, the Jackrabbits took a tumble from the No. 2 spot in The Times’ rankings.

Whether the same thing will happen to The Times’ third-ranked team, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, after the Knights’ 28-21 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night remains to be seen -- check back on Wednesday -- but Poly Coach Raul Lara is happy the No. 12 Jackrabbits are no longer alone among the top teams beaten by Birmingham, ranked just above them at No. 11 at the moment.

‘It legitimized our loss,’ a still-chagrined Lara said after the Jackrabbits continued to rebound Friday, stopping Carson, 38-9, for their second consecutive victory since the beating by Birmingham.

‘I don’t want to say that, but if we had to go through that, it was good to see somebody else lose, too. Give credit to Birmingham. They did a great job.’

Lara believes his team would do a better job, too, if the Jackrabbits got a second chance at the Patriots.

‘I wish we could get another shot,’ he said. ‘I just wished that we were mentally more prepared for them guys. Then again, they just did it again last night.

‘I’m pretty sure the Notre Dame coach would say, ‘Hey, they just beat Poly. You don’t think they’re good?’ So, they’re the real deal. They’re a real team.’

- Lauren Peterson