World Series Game 1 fever swept over the crowd as halftime hit at the 89th annual East L.A. Classic football game at SoFi Stadium.
Moments after the 15,804 in the stands erupted when Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam that appeared on the videoboard as the teams trotted to their locker rooms, the Black Eyed Peas performed with the help — and flair — of Garfield and Roosevelt High’s bands and cheerleaders.
The mother of Peas member Taboo Nawasha went to Garfield and William Adams, better known by his artist name will.i.am, is connected to the Bulldogs’ opposition through his mom, who attended Roosevelt.
“I went out there to rock with the Garfield side,” Nawasha said. “I stuck to the Roosevelt side,” will.i.am chirped back to his bandmate.
Regardless of who the crowd represented, much like the band itself, the celebration of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights was on full display in Inglewood with Roosevelt‘s and Garfield‘s mariachi bands strumming their tunes on the second level concourse and the Black Eyed Peas’ halftime show — featuring “Let’s Get It Started” and “I Gotta Feeling” — energizing an already deafening-loud L.A. faithful. Garfield (7-2, 5-0) went on to defeat Roosevelt (3-6, 1-4) by a score of 38-28.
“The guys that have gotten this opportunity, man, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez, who the Rams named their high school coach of the week postgame. “You can speak volumes about the stadium and just the crowd that came out to support the city. I wish I was playing.”
Overcoming an upset bid when falling behind 20-17 in the third quarter, Bulldogs quarterback Robert Cedillo’s career-high four touchdown passes provided room for the Bulldogs to leave victorious.
“On a really big stage, many people don’t get this opportunity, and it just felt really good,” the 6-foot-1 junior said.
A two-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Ceasar Reyes with 3:14 remaining in the third quarter staked Garfield to a lead it would not relinquish. In the fourth quarter, Reyes collected his second touchdown — his 20th of the season — when he darted into the left corner of the end zone on a 24-yard dash to give the Bulldogs a 38-20 lead.
“I’ve been looking to play in a pro stadium all my life,” Reyes said. “I’m looking to go pro one day, and I can’t wait. I know it’s going to happen.”
In the second game of the day — the first being the junior varsity squads — Garfield‘s flag football team won its first East L.A. Classic contest against Roosevelt.
Jada Barnes, the Bulldogs’ senior quarterback, hoisted the trophy as she ran through a banner reading, “WARNING: ROSIE HUNTING AHEAD.” Hunt she — and the Bulldogs — did.
“I think it feels really great to come out here and just showcase what our team could do,” Barnes said, leading the Bulldogs to a 62-0 victory —their first over the Rough Riders — the largest win in program history. “We put on a show for the community.”
Despite his program’s third consecutive loss to Garfield becoming solidified as the clock trickled toward 11 p.m., Roosevelt coach Ernesto Ceja couldn’t help but be grateful for his team’s opportunity to play on the Chargers’ and Rams’ turf when reminiscing on the game he just coached.
“It’s a dream that became reality, right?” he said.