Fiege Hopes Fans Can Pay the Bill for Coliseum

City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege said she is hoping for “a good crowd” at Friday night’s City football championship doubleheader at the Coliseum to help pay for the $35,000 fee to use the facility.

Last year, attendance for the City final at the Coliseum was 11,500. The City was able to make a small profit and decided to play at the Coliseum again even though recent games were played at El Camino College.

“We made the commitment [to the Coliseum] based on the expectation that the crowd will pay for it,” Fiege said.

The City 4-A final between Taft and San Pedro at 8 p.m. is a rematch of last year’s final. San Pedro is known for attracting a loyal following, as is Carson, which plays El Camino Real for the 3-A final at 5 p.m.

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He made perhaps the biggest play in Taft’s 22-20 loss to San Pedro in last year’s 4-A championship team, but defensive back Jaron Lawson is nowhere to be found this season.

Lawson, a junior, returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown midway through the third quarter to give Taft a 13-9 edge, its only lead of the game.

Lawson still attends Taft but didn’t make the commitment to football this season.

“It’s too bad,” Taft Coach Troy Starr said. “He was a good little player.”

Said Lawson: “I made some bad choices. But I still have school spirit. We’re gonna win Friday.”

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Before the season, Taft tailback Marquis Brignac switched his number from 12 to 24 because, “I’m twice as good as last year.”

His statement of bravado wasn’t far off. Brignac has gained 1,347 yards this season, more than twice as many as the 642 he gained as a sophomore in 1996.

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Two of the 49 City Section high schools that advanced to the two championship games Friday at the Coliseum are from Woodland Hills.

“I think it’s wonderful, something for this area to really be proud of,” said Evia Phillips, chief executive officer of the Woodland Hills chamber of commerce.

El Camino Real and Taft are about four miles apart and neither has won a City football title.

If El Camino Real knocks off Carson in the 3-A game and Taft defeats San Pedro in the 4-A, doesn’t a parade down Ventura and Valley Circle boulevards seem appropriate?

“Maybe,” Phillips said.