Short-Handed Fairfax Returning for Finale

The Fairfax High football team, which was forced to forfeit against top-ranked Westchester last week because it did not have enough sound players, will return to action Friday against Palisades.

Fairfax, which has lost 21 consecutive games dating to 1995, was down to 13 players last week, forcing co-coaches Ignacio Guerra and Amos Wellington and school administrators to call off the game against Westchester.

“The kids wanted to go out there more than anything, but we just couldn’t do it and let them get hurt,” Guerra said. “We weighed the risk against the benefits and we thought it was too much.”

Guerra said the 18 players practicing this week are looking forward to finishing the season with a competitive performance in their homecoming game.

“They have the fire inside, a burning desire,” Guerra said. “It’s hard because they haven’t had the wins, but they keep coming back and coming back. That’s the spirit of the game.

“We’ll be light in terms of numbers, but we’ll give it our best shot.”

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Defending-champion Palisades is the top-seeded team in the eight-team 4-A girls’ tennis playoffs that begin Friday at the Racquet Centre in Studio City.

Palisades plays No. 8 Grant in its first-round match. Other first-round matches are No. 2 Granada Hills vs. No. 7 University; No. 3 Hamilton vs. No. 6 El Camino Real and No. 5 Taft vs. No. 4 Van Nuys.

Marshall is the top-seeded team in the 3-A division, which begins today.

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Banning High’s football team was forced to forfeit three victories for using an ineligible player.

The forfeits drop the Pilot record to 3-6 overall and 3-3 in the Southern Pacific Conference. Banning plays Gardena on Friday and will learn if it has a place in the 16-team 4-A playoffs when the section announces pairings Saturday.

Palisades won its appeal to overturn a forfeit loss to Manual Arts. The Dolphins are 8-1.