La Mirada~Goodman Stadium will be the site once again as the La Mirada High Matadores football program attempts to capture its first-ever state title this Saturday night as they take on NoCal regional champ Campolindo in the Division III-AA championship game.
The Matadores are riding a 12-game winning streak since losing to San Clemente 42-26 on September 18th.
La Mirada reached the title game after beating Oceanside last week in a SoCal regional contest 36-14.
The rushing of star running back Sei-J Lauago and a staunch defense has allowed La Mirada to roll over their opponents.
In what seemed like the pinnacle of the season at the time, La Mirada beat La Serna 45-20 on December 5th to capture their third CIF Southern Section championship and first since 2009. Coach Mike Moschetti has had a hand in all three (one for each of the last three decades), including as a player in 1992.
Campolindo, a defending state champion, is riding an 11-game winning streak. The champions of the Diablo Foothill League, the Cougars (14-1) last loss was also on September 18th, a 20-14 setback against Napa.
The state bowl system was reconfigured this year. It was expanded from five to thirteen games, allowing for more opportunities for schools to get titles. Consequently, there are more schools than ever playing this late into the year.
The Matadores will take a state championship anyway they can get it, "This is something we have wanted for a long time," said Moschetti.
Game time Saturday at Goodman is 6:00 p.m.