Column: No matter the odds, there’s never an underdog in the East L.A. Classic

There are very few people who think Roosevelt has a chance to defeat Garfield in Friday’s 88th East L.A. Classic at East Los Angeles College.

The CalPreps.com computer gives Garfield a 99% chance of winning, with a predicted score of 56-12. Garfield is 8-1 and averaging 52 points a game with eight consecutive victories. Roosevelt is 4-5 and has few seniors in its starting lineup.

So how come Roosevelt coach Aldo Parral is feeling so relaxed in preparation for the City Section‘s greatest football rivalry that drew more than 40,000 fans to last year’s game at the Coliseum?

“I told the kids, ‘We’re playing with house money.’ We have nothing to lose. It’s a young squad. All the pressure is on them,” Parral said.

There’s a reason Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez is reminding his players not to take the Rough Riders lightly.

All you need to do is go back in history.

“I always reference the 0-6 Roosevelt team playing Garfield’s 6-0 team in 1990 and Roosevelt beat them 7-0,” Parral said.

Yes, underdogs can win this game because there’s so much emotion on the field and in the stands.

Last season Garfield was the underdog and won 16-8.

Fans make so much noise you think it’s a concert. And there was a concert last year at halftime with the Black Eyed Peas providing the entertainment.

“It’s loud,” Garfield quarterback Damian Cabrera said. “It’s a whole different atmosphere.”

Any player associated with the two schools wants to play in this game, whether healthy or not.

“You can break your leg and come back. Everyone has miracle recoveries,” Hernandez said.

Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez will have his son, Noah, starting at offensive guard against Roosevelt in Friday’s East L.A. Classic.

(Lorenzo Hernandez)

It’s homecoming for both schools, so alumni return from all over the country. There’s so much food to be eaten during pregame, halftime and postgame celebrations that someone should bring a scale to document who gains the most pounds among alumni.

Hernandez is feeling pressure because his wife, Martha, is a Garfield grad, and his son, Noah, is a starting right offensive guard.

Martha yells so loudly, Lorenzo can hear her from the sideline. When Garfield lost two seasons ago to Roosevelt, “It was very quiet” at home, he said.

Alumni from both schools should be excited about the future. Garfield is getting a new all-weather field, with construction scheduled to begin in December. Roosevelt is getting a complete stadium upgrade with a new grass field and press box. The team won’t have any home games next year while construction takes place.

Garfield’s big advantage is having a healthy Cabrera. He started the season on the sideline because of a shoulder injury, missing six games. He returned Sept. 29 against Bell and keeps getting better.

“I was only able to do a couple things,” he said of his first game back. “Now I’m back to normal.”

He passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 42-7 win over Legacy.

It’s a big week for rivalry games in the final week of the regular season. King/Drew is playing Dorsey on Friday night at the Coliseum, with a halftime concert featuring Warren G and Xzibit.

Muir is playing Pasadena on Wednesday night at the Rose Bowl. Burroughs can win the Pacific League title if it beats Burbank at home Friday night. The Sunset League title is on the line when Edison plays Los Alamitos at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Southern Section playoff pairings will be released at 10 a.m. Sunday, while City Section pairings will be announced at 5 p.m. Saturday.