At Narbonne, they don't shy away from the goal. It's printed on the back of their practice jerseys, which read "Destination Coliseum" with the date of the city championship game.
The game has since been moved to East Los Angeles College, but that matters little.
"Our goal has been nothing short of playing for a championship," said head coach Manuel Douglas. "Unfortunately, they changed it this year, we won't be able to play at the coliseum. Our goal this year has always been about being in the championship and competing for and winning a city title."
Douglas has led the Gauchos to two city titles and the playoffs in every one of his 10 years at Narbonne.
He's changed the culture of the football program and it's kept many of the best players at home, instead of transferring to other schools.
"I came out here and I seen how Douglas coached and how he treats the kids - a lot of caring. That's what I look for. It's a lot of fun out here. I'm happy I came here," said linebacker Marquis Lomax.
"Before he got here, we were everybody's homecoming," said assistant coach Robert Gill. "He's brought a lot of pride to this team."
Douglas says he wants to build winners in football and in life. To do that, he uses a three-word team motto: fast, hard, strong.
"We want to start everything that we ever do fast, continue to compete in it hard and finish it strong," he said. "We just try to translate that and use that motto in everything that we do, whether in football, the classroom, a relationship or whatever it may be."
Douglas also does great work in the classroom as a special education teacher.
For all that he does at Narbonne, Douglas is our ABC7-NFL High School Coach of the Week.
