Garfield defeats Roosevelt in front of 14,000 fans at the 90th East L.A. Classic
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred
In a tribute to the loyalty and love the alumni have for their schools, an estimated crowd of 14,000 showed up Friday night at East Los Angeles College for the 90th East L.A. Classic between Garfield and Roosevelt. That’s the largest regular-season attendance for a high school football game in California this season.
Garfield delivered a 37-30 victory for Patrick Vargas, a former Bulldogs quarterback who’s in his first season as head coach after years working as an assistant under Lorenzo Hernandez.
“When you step on the field, you hear that roaring crowd. You hear that booing crowd. That’s the time of your life. You’re going to enjoy that moment and soak everything in,” Vargas said earlier this week.
The Bulldogs (7-2, 6-0) turned to backup running back Zastice Jauregui, who filled in for All-City running back Ceasar Reyes after the first quarter when Reyes was injured. Reyes rushed for a school-record 420 yards last week. Jauregui, one of the best athletes on the team, scored two touchdowns, including a 15-yard run in the third quarter to increase Garfield’s lead to 34-8.
Defensive lineman Chuck Perez had a three-yard touchdown run and also recovered a fumble.
Roosevelt (4-5, 3-2) briefly took an 8-6 lead in the first quarter when Jordan Nunez scored on a four-yard run and Abraham Cardenas added a two-point conversion. Roosevelt got a touchdown and two-point conversion in the final seconds to get within 37-30 during a 16-point fourth quarter.
Garfield has little time to celebrate. The Bulldogs close the regular season Thursday night with a game against Northern League champion Eagle Rock that could decide a City Section Open Division playoff berth.
