Friday night saw the Van Nuys Wolves defeat the Canoga Park Hunters 21-7, giving Van Nuys its first league win and improving its record to 1-3 in league play (4-4 overall), while dropping the Hunters to 1-3 in league play (1-7 overall).

Senior receiver Hector Gonzalez provided two touchdowns for the Wolves, one receiving and one rushing, while junior running back Raudel Sanchez chipped in a goal-line touchdown.

Canoga Park had plenty on the line, looking to improve to 2-2 in league play and strengthen its playoff hopes after earning its first win of the season against Reseda last week.

Junior quarterback Mannuel Vasquez opened the scoring with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Hunters a 7-0 lead.

Although it was Canoga Park’s only touchdown of the night, Vasquez showed his ability to create time in the pocket and give his receivers a chance throughout the game.

“He’s progressing and we really want to go that route with him, last year he didn’t throw as much so this year we made an emphasis on trying to get him to throw,” said Canoga Park head coach Randy Luna.

On Van Nuys’ ensuing drive, Sanchez set the Wolves up in the red zone with a 21-yard rush to Canoga Park’s 17-yard line, bringing the home crowd to a frenzy. The rest of the drive featured a back-and-forth series of plays and mistakes, including an 18-yard pass to Jeffrey Cruz that moved the Wolves to the 3-yard line. Penalties and a bad snap, however, pushed Van Nuys back to the 21.

The setbacks couldn’t break the home team. Freshman quarterback Xavier Ruiz found Gonzalez for a 21-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 7-6 after Canoga Park blocked the extra-point attempt.

As halftime approached, Canoga Park faced a fourth-and-1 at Van Nuys’ 23-yard line but failed to convert, giving the Wolves a chance to take the lead.

Van Nuys looked poised to capitalize as junior Diego Barrales led the Wolves to their own 48-yard line, accounting for 20 of the team’s 25 rushing yards on the drive.

On the next snap, Barrales broke free for another 20 yards, evading defenders before a hit from Canoga Park’s defense knocked the ball loose. The Hunters recovered the fumble and regained possession.

Canoga Park couldn’t get its next drive going and punted from its own 30-yard line with 10 seconds left in the half.

A last-second field goal attempt by the Wolves sailed wide left, leaving Canoga Park with a 7-6 lead at halftime.

Both teams continued to struggle offensively to open the third quarter.

Canoga Park had the ball first but eventually fumbled at its own 41-yard line after a strong hit by senior Pedro Perez. Junior Derek Navarrete recovered the ball and returned it to the Hunters’ 30.

After the Wolves reached second-and-7 at Canoga Park’s 14-yard line, Sanchez fumbled but recovered the ball himself. A bad snap on the following play resulted in another fumble, which Van Nuys also recovered, leaving the Wolves facing fourth-and-17 at the Hunters’ 28.

Van Nuys failed to convert, but the Wolves got the ball back after forcing a Canoga Park punt from midfield.

The Hunters appeared to have forced a three-and-out, with Van Nuys facing fourth-and-7 as the punt team took the field.

Van Nuys had something else in mind. The Wolves faked the punt and passed to senior Sebastian Flores for a 15-yard gain, earning a fresh set of downs at their own 37-yard line.

The home crowd started simmering, waiting for a moment to tip the scales.

That moment came immediately. Sophomore running back Freddy Escobar, lined up in the quarterback slot, kept the ball and raced 59 yards before being stopped at Canoga Park’s 4-yard line.

The Wolves use a unique quarterback situation, taking a committee-style approach.

“We’re trying to see whatever the defense gives us,” said Van Nuys head coach Ken Osorio. “We have a great coaching staff that works really well together.”

A Canoga Park penalty moved the Wolves to the 1-yard line, setting up Gonzalez to punch the ball into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.

This time, Van Nuys converted the extra point to take its first lead, 13-7.

Pass breakups by Perez and sophomore Daniel Grigoryan on Canoga Park’s next drive forced a three-and-out, giving the Wolves possession near midfield.

Van Nuys went with a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach, pounding the ball on the ground nine times and completing two short passes to reach the Hunters’ 1-yard line. No play gained more than 8 yards, but the Wolves steadily worked their way down the field.

Sanchez took the ball on the drive’s 10th rushing attempt and gained the yard needed for the score.

Van Nuys attempted a two-point conversion to make up for the earlier blocked extra point. The attempt succeeded, putting the Wolves ahead 21-7.

The 21 points for Van Nuys surpassed the team’s total from its previous three games combined. During that losing stretch, the Wolves averaged just three points per game.

“We have learned from every single game that has come thus far,” Osorio said. “I think we’re starting to put it together.”

Although Canoga Park fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return, the Hunters forced a fumble of their own to regain possession at their own 10-yard line.

Ultimately, Canoga Park’s hopes of a comeback ended when a turnover on downs sealed its fate.

The win snapped Van Nuys’ losing streak and gave the Wolves their first league victory of the season, moving them ahead of Canoga Park in the standings. Despite both teams holding the same league record, Van Nuys now owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.

With challenging games against Kennedy and San Fernando still ahead on the schedule, Luna expressed concern about the road forward.

“We just gotta continue to improve and understand the severity of the situation … Me as a head coach identifying certain things that we need to continue to improve on,” Luna said. “Reminding them to be on their P’s and Q’s and dot their I’s.”

Friday night will be homecoming for both schools. Van Nuys will host Reseda, hoping to start a new streak and capture their second straight league victory. Canoga Park will face Kennedy at San Fernando High School.