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Football: Dwinding numbers are warning sign in City Section

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These are tough times in City Section football.

Manual Arts, L.A. Jordan and West Adams have all dropped their junior varsity teams for lack of players.

Los Angeles hasn’t played in a junior varsity game. Carson has 15 JV players and 13 freshmen. West Adams forfeited its varsity game on Friday for lack of players.

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“It’s pretty scary,” Carson Coach Jimmy Nolan said.

Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett, whose varsity team has just 30 players, places the blame on the growing number of charter schools, particularly in South Los Angeles.

‘Schools in the black and brown community have been taken hostage as political pawns,’ Garrett said. ‘They’re putting in a number of charter schools in the surrounding areas and enrollment has dropped. It’s going to get worse.’

The early start to the school year also left some teams scrambling to get players eligible and to come out for football. Manual Arts Coach Anthony Brady said he intends to return the JV program next season.

But clearly, numbers are down and coaches are concerned.

-- Eric Sondheimer

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