NFL games have often been the best source to lift the spirits. Be it for college football programs or high school football teams. December 22nd was one of those days. Every program was glued to the TV, waiting for the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars showdown. The Raiders finally grabbed a close 19-14 win over the Jaguars. Someone got too excited with the Las Vegas win. That’s none other than the California State champion, HC Raul Lara. Already, Lara has received a lot of praise for clinching 2nd straight championship. Now, it was time to double down on the celebrations—his favorite NFL team just clinched the victory too!

Good times roll in the Raiders’ hood, and Lara could not be any more proud. Las Vegas ended a league-high 10-game losing streak. This was their first win since beating the Cleveland Browns 20-16 on Sept. 29. Even this time, the victory was slipping away. All thanks to Daniel Carlson for his third-field goal attempt, the game flipped in Vegas’ favor. That’s when Lara could no longer retain his excitement. On December 22, he re-shared a post from the Raiders’ IG page.

For Lara, using only three words was enough to show his emotions: “Wow, we won!” Not to forget how it has been a massive win for Las Vegas. After all, they stepped into the game without their star defensive end, Maxx Crosby. He is down with an ankle injury and went on IR for the rest of the season. Despite that, the Raiders were leading 19-14 with just 2:44 left. And the Jaguars needed one more touchdown to seal the deal. But in a real nail-biter, the Raiders made one last desperate stand, tackling the opponent with only 55 seconds on the clock.

Even after back-to-back setbacks, Antonio Pierce and Co. came out stronger, seeking revenge that somehow inspired the Mater Dei HC. After all, ain’t no tale better than a revenge tale; no one knows it better than Lara.

Finally, the Mater Dei HC was able to seek revenge after steamrolling De La Selle 37-15 and securing their California State Championship. Even though Lara gifted the Monarchs wrapping up a flawless 13-0 season, there was a time when Lara was calling plays for Long Beach Poly. That’s when the Jackrabbits squared off against De La Salle, as they lost 29-15. Fast forward 23 years, and Lara could tick off this win from his wishlist, FINALLY! Not only victory, but the Mater Dei HC even got lucky to interact with legends. 

A full circle moment for Raul Lara  

Already grabbing the second straight championship, Lara has been raised to a pedestal. As a fan was truly impressed with the Mater Dei HC, he stated, “23 years ago today Raul Lara coached LB Poly and won a championship 🏆 in his first year. (2001 also vs De La Salle, the big game). 23 years later he’s now coaching his rival Mater Dei. Wow! How ironic. Congrats Coach Lara on crowning champs in your 1st year.” Who wouldn’t want a victory? But Lara didn’t have to wait till the victory.

He has led the program so well, it already has a big fan base. You would be surprised to know that most of the fans are big shots in the football world. During the pre-game, a number of legends could be spotted. There was the winningest high school football coach in California history with 399 wins, Bob Ladouceur. Also, former De La Salle HC Terry Eidson and current HC Justin Alumbaugh were spotted engrossed in a deep conversation with Lara.

It was reunion time for the Mater Dei HC. As Raul Lara stated, “I haven’t seen Bob and Terry since 2002! Brought back many memories, especially the conversations I had with Bob! It was awesome seeing you guys!!!”  That’s how Raul Lara scored big—with revenge victories for both his team and his NFL favorite.