The San Fernando Tigers were looking forward to an opportunity for redemption after a frustrating season opener in a  26-6 loss to Village Christian last Friday. “I couldn’t even sleep after that Village Christian game.”, claimed San Fernando Head Coach Charles Burnley, “The guys felt the same way. We knew we had to make a statement.” The Tigers took a short trip down the road to nearby Chavez High School to face an Eagles team they defeated in a 14-0 shutout last season. In the season-opening game for Chavez, San Fernando once again imposed their will on the defensive side of the ball forcing four Chavez turnovers in a 35-14 rout. 

The Eagles defense put early pressure on the Tigers with a third down sack on the opening drive to force a three-and-out. Their first offensive possession was stunted from two self-inflicted penalties where they turned the ball over on downs after a failed 4th & 15 attempt. San Fernando began to move the chains on the offensive end. After surrendering a sack, the Tigers marched down the field for a 43-yard touchdown through the air. The successful two-point conversion attempt gave San Fernando an 8-0 lead with 4:46 left.

After forcing another three-and-out, the Tigers offense had excellent field position on the Chavez 18 yard-line. The Eagles defense forced a sack on third down and the Tigers were unable to convert on the field goal attempt with 21.2 seconds left in the quarter. Despite grinding the Chavez offense to a halt, San Fernando couldn’t get out of their own way with three penalties on their next offensive possession leading to a momentum-swinging pick-six by the Chavez defense. With new life and their home crowd in a frenzy, the Eagles tied the game with 8:31 left in the 2nd quarter after a successful two-point conversion attempt. 

Chavez forced a punt from the Tigers on their next possession yet couldn’t hold onto the football, as the San Fernando defense recovered a strip sack in Eagles territory. The Tigers recharged their offensive batteries on their next drive, taking advantage of the short field to complete a successful touchdown through their passing game. 

Leading 15-8 with 2:02 left in the half, San Fernando showed their creativity on special teams by recovering a surprise onside kick attempt. They proceeded to turn the ball over with 36.3 left  on a third & long passing attempt after consecutive sacks by Chavez. Starting their drive around midfield, the Eagles moved the ball to inside the Tigers 25-yard line. On 3rd & 5, the Tigers defense forced their second turnover of the night to end the half. 

San Fernando refused to let their foot off the gas on the defensive end, starting the second half in the same fashion the first ended: an interception returned back inside the Chavez 20 yard-line. The Tigers converted on the red zone opportunity through their ground game to power in for a short-yard touchdown. Unable to convert the two-point conversion, San Fernando led 21-8 with 8:05 left in the third quarter. 

After trading punts on both sides, the Eagles were in favorable field position on the Tigers 35, where an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from San Fernando had their offense in the red zone. Having struggled most of the night offensively, Chavez used a trick play of their own with a  reverse wide receiver sweep pass play to set up a 3-yard quarterback keeper touchdown. The Tigers lead was cut to seven after the failed two-point conversion attempt with 1:31 left in the 3rd quarter. 

The score remained unchanged heading into the 4th quarter, where San Fernando locked in offensively on a key drive with multiple big plays concluding in a 28-yard touchdown run with 11:53 left in the contest. The Eagles blocked the extra point attempt keeping the score 27-14 in the favor of San Fernando. The Tigers defense put an exclamation point on their brilliant performance with an interception for their fourth takeaway of the game. 

Burnley credits San Fernando defensive coordinator Roderick Williams for preparing their tenacious defense. “They’re exciting to watch.”, he claimed, “When we asked them to tighten up, that’s exactly what they did.” 

On a sloppy drive filled with penalties from both teams, the Tigers found their way into the end zone once again to take a commanding 35-14 lead with 7:04 left to put the Eagles away.  With their first victory under their belt San Fernando will take on Poly on the road, while Chavez will travel to Sylmar next week. 

*All images courtesy of VST Intern Benjamin Becher