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Football: Taft missing two stars against Carson

Los Angeles Times staff writer Ben Bolch
By Ben Bolch
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Taft must play top-seeded Carson tonight in a City Section semifinal without star receiver Michael Thomas (collarbone) and two-way lineman Antwaun Woods (knee), who were both injured in the second half of the Toreadors’ quarterfinal victory over Los Angeles Dorsey.

Thomas was Taft quarterback Michael Bercovici’s top target, having caught 86 passes for 1,656 yards and 21 touchdowns.

‘You’ve got two All-Americans and they can’t play,’ Toreadors Coach Matt Kerstetter said. ‘That’s tough. Other guys are going to have to step up. We’re not going to be making any excuses. We have to come out and play.’

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Carson Coach Elijah Asante said everyone on his team was healthy and available.

--Ben Bolch

Varsity Times Insider
Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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