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East L.A. Classic could have feminine touch

Serrato_3 Michelle Serrato would love to play in the East Los Angeles Classic on Friday night, but only if her coach thought the Roosevelt fullback could help the Rough Riders defeat their archrival in the biggest game of the season.

"She says, 'Don't do me any favors. I want to earn everything I get,' " Coach Javier Cid said.

Serrato, who also plays on special teams, participated in Roosevelt's 39-29 victory over Huntington Park last Friday and got a few carries earlier in the season against L.A. Contreras, making her decision to play with the boys seem worthwhile.

"Practice and everything is all worth it in the end when you're on the field and play in the games," said Serrato, who is 5 feet 6 and 155 pounds.

Cid said he doesn't give Serrato special treatment because of her gender.

"I told her, 'Hey, I'm not going to let you play just because you're a girl,' " he said. " 'Is that what you expect? If you're going to get any playing time it's because you earn it.' "

Serrato said she hasn't been subjected to any ribbing.

"For the most part, everybody's positive and asks me how it is playing on the team and if it's difficult to keep up with the boys," she said. "I've been playing since I was a freshman, so I've kind of learned to catch up with them."

Serrato nearly had a female counterpart in the East L.A. Classic last year. Cid and Garfield Coach Lorenzo Hernandez had talked about letting Serrato match up against Bulldogs defensive end Stephanie Lopez, but Lopez quit the team early in the season.

"That would have been a neat deal," Hernandez said. "[Lopez] was stronger than a lot of boys on the team."

--Ben Bolch