Big Defensive play by Ivan Burgara sealed the win for the Eagles

This article was updated to correct the name of the Sylmar receiver who was involved in the play with Ivan Burgara. It was originally published as Jorge Rubios. It has been updated to the correct player, Anthony Nunez.

Jacob Mcdonald completed a deep pass to Anthony Nunez down the sideline, and it appeared Sylmar would be feet away from the goal line with just over four minutes left in the game with a chance to take the lead. Ivan Burgara, a senior playing his first season of football, was not having it. He read the play and stripped the ball from Nunez. The fumble went out of bounds, hitting the pylon at the goal line, resulting in a touchback and change of possession, with the Eagles taking over on the 20-yard line. Chavez would run out the clock, eking out a 6-3 victory over the Sylmar Spartans.

“He’s a soccer kid,” Eagles coach Rodrigo Nunez said of Burgara, “He’s our kicker. He’s wheels and he understands the concepts (because) he plays (midfield) in soccer, he understands how to float. Did not expect that from him. Awesome. Awesome.”

Friday night was a battle of two teams seeking consistency early on in the season. Chavez did not have a Week 0 opponent, and Sylmar has shown flashes of how dangerous they can be. The struggle was evident throughout the contest. Chavez committed five offensive penalties on one drive in the first half and muffed a punt after forcing a three-and-out on the first drive of the game, giving Sylmar possession back, this time in Eagles territory. The Spartans threw an interception shortly afterwards and also struggled to contain the Chavez run game, something that has long been a staple of the Eagles offense.

“Defensively we came with a five-man front,” Spartans head coach Evander Williams said. “But we have to set the edge. We know what is coming, set the edge (and) work the outside. I thought defensively we kind of bent a little bit, didn’t give up. ” 

Chavez had an opportunity to get on the board with just over three minutes left in the first half. They had marched into field goal territory and lined up for the kick. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the snap and hold were not clean, and the kick went straight into the oncoming defense. The Spartans would take possession and march the field in turn. 

As time was running out in the first half, there were some clock issues where the operator either failed to stop or start the clock in a timely manner. One such moment saw Nunez walk all the way out to the middle of the field to speak with the head official. This resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of 15 yards. 

The Spartans converted their next play for a first down with about 10 seconds left in the second quarter, which typically temporarily stops the clock until the ball is placed. This time, the clock did not restart as the officials backed away for play to resume. The officials conferred with each other and decided the clock would be set to three seconds to account for the time that would have come off during that time. The Eagles called a time out, ultimately allowing for the Sylmar to send out their kicking unit. Senior kicker Jesus Rodriguez converted the 31-yard field goal to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.

Chavez started the second half with the ball, but the Sylmar defense stood strong and got the ball back for their offense. The Spartans made their way into field goal position again, but this time the kick from Rodriguez was just wide to the left, ending the only true scoring opportunity of the third quarter.

The Eagles would put together a scoring drive somewhat early in the fourth quarter, riding their top running back for a 6-yard touchdown with 7:43 left in the game. The junior finished with 21 carries for 72 yards and that one score. From there, the Chavez defense held tough and the Eagles emerged victorious.

“It took a little bit for him to get going,” Nunez said of his bell cow, “He’s a guy that we’re going to need to run behind.”

Ultimately, Williams believes there is more for his team to give, “I think we need to put more points up on offense. We’re getting there, just not finishing through.”

The win brings Chavez to 1-1 on the season and Sylmar falls to 1-2. The Spartans return to action on Friday, September 13 when they travel to Santa Monica High School. Chavez has their bye week before they visit Poly on September 20 to begin their East Valley League campaign.