Have Garfield Bulldogs dug a hole they can’t climb out of?

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In the span of two weeks, Garfield (6-3, 3-2) has gone from looking like an Invitational Division title contender to looking like a team in trouble.

Take nothing away from Roosevelt (5-4, 2-3), which outplayed Garfield on Friday to earn a 23-15 victory in the 73rd East L.A. Classic. But in the last two weeks, both Jordan and Roosevelt have reduced the Bulldogs to a one-dimensional running team on offense. And if the Bulldogs can’t run, they struggle trying to pass.

On defense, Garfield has been unable to stop the pass. Jordan quarterback James Boyd threw for 283 yards on Oct. 26, and Roosevelt quarterback Jesse Diaz passed for 286 yards on Friday.

Coach Lorenzo Hernandez knows corrections must come quickly if Garfield is going to do anything in the playoffs. ‘I don’t think we’ve hit a wall. But ... it gets hard to bounce back when an opposing team scores. That’s something we have to teach as coaches, being able to come back and play when that happens.’

-- Mike Terry

-- Image from www.garfield58.org