Lincoln Football Posts Best Season in 55 Years

Although their season ended in a 28-8 loss to Polytechnic High School in the City Section Division 3-A title game, the Lincoln High football team still enjoyed its best season in 55 years.

No Lincoln team has won a city football championship since 1935.

The Tigers were third in the Northwestern League at 4-3 and finished with a 9-4-1 record overall. They made it to the championship game by pummeling league champion Belmont, 43-6, in the semifinals. That victory was a redemption of sorts for Lincoln, because Belmont had defeated the Tigers, 26-25, in league play.

“I expected us to go far, at least up to the semifinals,” said Lincoln Coach Randy Rodriguez, a former outside linebacker at Roosevelt High who has coached the Tigers for six seasons. “Once I saw we were playing Belmont in the semis, I knew we could make the finals.”

Earlier in the playoffs, Belmont had defeated Sylmar, 17-15, and Lincoln had eliminated Garfield, 13-10. Belmont and Garfield both finished the season at 10-2.

Lincoln’s top offensive weapons were Gaspar Ortega, a senior quarterback who passed for 2,247 yards and 26 touchdowns, and his brother, sophomore wide receiver Marcelo, who had 41 receptions for 557 yards. They were second-team selections in The Times’ All-Central team.

The defense was led by senior defensive back Roland Peters, a Times’ All-Central first-team choice, and by senior linebacker Albert Vallejo, who made the second team.