The day after Thanksgiving marked an end to the Garfield Bulldogs’ season as the #4 seed in their playoff bracket traveled to the Valley and the home of the #1 seeded San Fernando Tigers for their Semi-Final match-up. The Bulldogs gave it all they had in this crucial playoff contest on Friday 11/24/17, but came up unexpectedly short as they fell to a very talented, but potent Tigers.
Brief Game Summary: After a very competitive first-half which ended tied at 21-21, the Bulldogs couldn’t sustain their positive momentum as they were overwhelmed by the ferocious and dominant defensive front four of the Tigers. Relentless in their pressure tactics, they successfully forced many “3 & Outs” on a consistent basis. Meanwhile, the Tigers offensive machine under Head Coach, Robert Garcia, was much quicker than their opponent’s. Their ground and air games were timely, explosive, and stellar in execution and form. The second half belonged to San Fernando as they lighted up the scoreboard with three TDs and followed by no immediate answers from Garfield. The final scoreboard showed the Tigers 42, Bulldogs 21. San Fernando then moved into the Championship game on 12/2/17 where they confronted the Coliseum League’s Dorsey Dons, the 6th seed in the Division 1 tournament.
Closing Thoughts: The Bulldogs had a lot be thankful for this season as they turned their fortunes around in the second half of the season with a 2nd place finish in the Eastern League plus their 8th consecutive win over the Roosevelt Rough Riders in the “83rd East L.A. Classic.” Congrats also to the Senior Class of 2017 student-athletes who performed well all season long under lots of adversity and many tough losses. However, they sought redemption and found it in time to make their annual push to the playoffs, and this season was no different. Head Coach Lorenzo Hernandez will regret the losses of all of these talented players, but in the end, he knows that more Bulldogs are coming into his program, and his new upperclassmen will have to step it up another notch next season. Thanks for letting East L.A. Sports Scene Productions, be a part of your media support group! Had a great time delivering your “Play-By Play” and your “Highlights” coverage for five games. By: Rico Cabrera, Sr./Editor, East L.A. Sports Scene Productions, LLC
