Their uniforms might not be as flash as Nike's University of Oregon football duds, but the La Mirada (Calif.) High gridiron squad did the Ducks one better: The Matadores now officially have four times as many uniform options as games on the 2013-14 schedule.
High School Football America's Josh Guereque published a video on his YouTube channel worthy of Nike advertising dollars, showing off just about all 40 uniform combinations available to La Mirada next season (h/t USA Today).
The Nike collection features five different color pants (black, white, yellow, blue, gray), four different color jerseys (black, white, yellow, blue) and two different color helmets (white, yellow) for a total of four seasons worth of uniform options.
La Mirada head coach Mike Moschetti originally posted pictures of the uniforms on his Twitter account, telling USA Today the classic style football uniforms cost roughly a quarter of the $100,000 the program raises annually.
“It’s all about the kids," Moschetti told the paper. "It makes the kids excited, they get all fired up. As a coaching staff and a school, we try to do as much as we can for the kids. It brings the community together."
Moschetti, who played quarterback for La Mirada's 1992 state title team and later for the University of Colorado Buffaloes, has long battled the lure of private schools for his most talented players, and he believes the uniforms might further help his cause.
“You can go to Mater Dei and pay tuition, but you can come to La Mirada where it’s free and still get recruited by Florida, Notre Dame, USC and Alabama,” Moschetti told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune back in March. “The big misconception is ‘I have to go to Servite. I have to go to Bishop Amat. I have to go to Crespi to play Division I football’.
“I’ve never had a college coach once ask me ‘What division do you guys play in?’ If you make plays on film and take care of business in the classroom, you’re going to get recruited if you get your film out there."
The Matadores own a 41-19 record since Moschetti took over in 2008, including a Southern Division title in his second season and a 9-2 record this past fall.
Next year's La Mirada roster includes the nation's No. 3 senior tight end recruit in Tyler Luatua, Oklahoma-bound wide receiver Dallis Todd, Cal-bound offensive lineman Michael Trani and junior quarterback Kevin Dillman, who has more than a dozen Division I scholarship offers, so maybe it's more than just the uniforms.
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