In this rivalry that spans decades, maybe these neighboring teams wouldn’t have it any other way. With only 15 seconds left on the clock, a prolonged debate between referees and coaches ultimately determined the outcome. One coach left smiling; the other did not.

Sylmar head coach Evander Williams was worried about his depleted secondary’s ability to handle San Fernando’s big-play offense. His plan: rely on his defensive front to pressure the Tigers’ senior quarterback, Aaron Celis. And they did just that, sacking him nine times. 

On the other side, Tigers head coach Charles Burnley, missing a few key players, was confident his team would succeed if they avoided penalties that had plagued them in previous games. San Fernando made their coach proud, playing a clean game and earning the opportunity to take the lead late in the 4th quarter.

Sylmar started strong with their catalyst for the night, junior Reyleo Reyes, returning the opening kickoff 59 yards to the Tigers’ 28-yard line. Ironically, it was the Spartans who were committing silly penalties, leading their offense to start out-of-sync against a San Fernando defense that stymied their run game all-night and forced a turnover on downs on that first possession. The Tigers responded by utilizing a short passing game to move down the field until two costly sacks stalled momentum. The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.

San Fernando finally broke through early in the second quarter. Celis connected with senior wideout Richard Guardado on a 6-yard touchdown pass, and junior Ivan Santos added a two-point conversion to make it 8-0. But Reyes electrified the Spartan fanbase on the ensuing kickoff, returning it 88 yards for a touchdown and narrowing the gap to 8-7.

Celis, pressured throughout the game, was picked off by sophomore Daniel Hernandez on the Tigers’ next drive. Although the Spartans couldn’t capitalize, they eventually took the lead before halftime after Celis threw his 2nd interception of the first half. Senior quarterback Jacob McDonald hit the irrepressible Reyes, on an exhilarating 60-yard catch-and-run to put the Spartans up 14-8 at the half.

The second half saw a stalemate until Sylmar’s senior kicker-extraordinaire, Jesus Rodriguez punted the ball inside the Tigers’ twenty. San Fernando would fumble two plays later, giving Sylmar a short field. McDonald used his legs to gain a first down. And as soon as the Tigers’ defense focused on his running, McDonald hit Daniel Hernandez in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown, extending Sylmar’s lead to 20-8. But the Tigers weren’t done yet. Much like his coach, Celis looked like a cool customer in the pocket, capping a determined drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior Jay Arana, pulling his Tigers to within 20-16.

When San Fernando attempted an onside kick rather than risking another return from Reyes, Sylmar recovered near midfield. Williams tried to chew up clock by running McDonald on keepers. It didn’t work. Having a rough 4th quarter, McDonald lost a fumble and threw an interception on consecutive drives. After the pick, Celis threw his third touchdown pass to senior Isiah Castro, who gutted through a first quarter injury to contribute in this all-important drive, putting the Tigers up 22-20 with two minutes left. The Tigers two-point try was not successful.

McDonald, unfazed by his uneven night, got it together just when his team needed it. “A phenomenal player – tough as nails.” Williams said of McDonald. “Made a bad play on the (fumble). Threw the pick, giving (the Tigers) a chance. Right? But hey, he forgot about it.” 

With the team just outside of Rodriguez’s range and facing a third-and-seven with 30 seconds left, McDonald scrambled 21 yards to the 12-yard line. Sylmar called timeout and ran one more play, calling their final timeout and setting up the game-winning field goal. But controversy erupted over timeouts, as Coach Burnley argued that Sylmar had called a fourth timeout. Nonetheless, Sylmar’s kicker nailed the 29-yard field goal, putting the Spartans ahead 23-22 with 15 seconds to go.

But after the kick, the referees deliberated and tensions rose in the stands. San Fernando fans began chanting “CHEATERS!” After the lengthy and spirited debate, the field goal stood. Sylmar kicked off. With 15 seconds remaining, Celis orchestrated one last drive for San Fernando, including a 40-yard bomb to Arana and putting them in striking distance with 2.3 seconds remaining. Time for one last play. Celis dropped to pass and, as he scrambled to his right, he was grabbed by senior defensive end Iverson Ortega. He managed a desperate heave that was intercepted to end the game, but not the controversy.

After the game, Burnley graciously handed the Victory Cup to Williams, and the two coaches embraced. Reflecting on the loss, Burnley criticized the officiating: “I don’t think it’s fair for the boys to lose in that type of way where the referees admitted that they gave them four timeouts. With twenty seconds left, the clock should’ve been running. They should’ve been forced to scramble their field goal team out.” 

About his Tigers, Burnley added: “I love these boys. They never quit. We came out here with one hand tied behind our back, missing some key guys. Then we lost our big time receiver (Isaiah Castro), early. All we could do was ask them to fight. They fought. But it’s unfortunate that Sylmar had twelve men on the field if you count the referees.”

Coach Williams, who was thrilled with the win, countered: “I confirmed with the sideline judge that we had two timeouts, he said ‘yes.’ We went one. We went two. Every other official said we had burnt our timeouts. The problem was, we had an injury timeout. They (other officials) called it a timeout. Our judge did not. So, we had that timeout.” Williams then explained what happened last season. “It’s the exact same thing that happened last year. Except, last year, they took the play away. And they push us back. We end up kicking (field goal). (The Tigers) block it. They run it back (and) win the game. It’s the same thing that happened. The call’s already been made. You can’t change the call.” 

San Fernando, now 3-5 and 1-3 in Valley Mission, hosts Panorama on Friday at 7:30PM.

In perhaps the game of the year, Sylmar 5-3, 4-0 in Valley Mission travels to Kennedy 5-2, 3-0 in Valley Mission, for a first place showdown this Friday at 7:00 p.m.

This article originally stated Daniel Flores had the interception in the first half. It has been correctly updated to Daniel Hernandez.