Aguirre Returns Carson to Glory

It did not take long for John Aguirre to make an impact again on City Section football.

The former Garfield coach took over at Carson this season after two seasons as an assistant at La Puente Bishop Amat and promptly led the Colts to their 10th City championship.

But the 1999 season was about more than Carson’s return to prominence.

The City Section’s realignment from six conferences to eight leagues fostered neighborhood rivalries and competitive league championship races.

It also wreaked havoc when playoff pairings were made.

Two leagues finished with three-way ties for first place and two had two-way ties. League champions were automatically put in the Championship Division, leaving only two at-large berths for second-place finishers Dorsey and San Pedro.

Banning, which had played Long Beach Poly, Santa Fe Springs St. Paul and Santa Ana Mater Dei to prepare for postseason competition, was relegated to the Invitational Division and beat Gardena in the division final.

Banning wasn’t the only City team that tested itself against Southern Section powers.

Crenshaw registered one of the biggest wins in recent City Section history when the Cougars defeated Loyola, 7-6. Buoyed by the victory, the Cougars went unbeaten through the Coliseum League and advanced to the City final.

Other City teams also enjoyed noteworthy seasons and victories.

* Marshall finished the regular season 6-4, its first winning record since 1992.

* Eagle Rock won its first seven games for the first time since 1957.

* Garfield beat Roosevelt, 16-13, in the East Los Angeles Classic for the eighth time in nine years.

* And Fairfax players demonstrated spirit and perseverance during a season in which the Lions’ losing streak reached a state-long 43 games before they defeated Hamilton, 20-0, in the season finale.