The only different opponent the Rebels will play this year is zero week host Bellarmine-Jefferson at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at North Hollywood High, a significant add because it also expands Prep's schedule to 10 games from the nine that had become the standard.
"I would prefer to throw in a 10th game," Harrison said of what will be the first installment of a two-year arrangement with the Santa Fe League Guards, who are coming off a 2-8 campaign. "Something about having nine games in a season just didn't sit well with me.
"I know it will be toward our overall record, but I would rather have them play a real game than to have another scrimmage that was similar to passing league with pads."
After the opener, the nonleague schedule unfolds in identical fashion to last year, with a reversal of host sites the only shake-up in Friday night meetings with St. Genevieve (7 p.m., Sept. 9), Grace Brethren (7 p.m., Sept. 16) and Campbell Hall (1 p.m., Sept. 24) — all at the Rebels' home field at Occidental College — and Malibu at Malibu at 1 p.m. on Oct. 1 for the first of three consecutive Saturday games.
The Rebels went a disappointing 0-3-1 against those four squads last year, but Harrison said that having another year to implement his coaching system should make the return meetings in nonleague more competitive.
"All of them are going into the [the second year of] their two-year [contracts], so hopefully we can put a 'W' on our side to split it down the middle," Harrison said. "That way they will want to continue their two-year contracts with us after this season.
