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Football: Oliver sets records under the radar

Los Angeles Times staff writer Ben Bolch
By Ben Bolch
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Far removed from the hubbub of the City Section’s Division I playoffs, Preston Oliver will likely continue to pile up yards for Los Angeles Marshall on Thursday night.

Oliver, the all-time leading rusher in the history of the Northern League with 5,566 yards, will lead the Barristers (7-3) against host Cleveland (7-3) in a Division II first-round game.

Oliver, a senior being recruited by Division I colleges, has 1,706 rushing yards and 2,119 all-purpose yards this season. He has rushed for 15 touchdowns for the Barristers, who are making a school-record sixth consecutive playoff appearance.

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Most of the postseason appearances have been short. Marshall has not advanced out of the first round since making it to the semifinals of the Invitational Division in 2006.

Masrhall and Cleveland have never met in football.

--Ben Bolch

Varsity Times Insider
Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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