San Fernando football rallies in fourth quarter to top Roosevelt in City quarterfinals
SAN FERNANDO – Twice in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s CIF City Section Division II quarterfinals matchup, the third-seeded San Fernando football team had to come from behind against No. 11 Roosevelt before winning 28-26.
San Fernando also had to overcome the loss of junior Edgardo Marroquin, who sustained a season-ending leg injury on the kickoff return following the go-ahead touchdown for the Tigers (11-1).
“Look, our guys are resilient,” said Tigers coach Charles Burnley. “We go in there, we tell them we know who we are. Keep playing, keep fighting, and that’s exactly what they did. They never gave up.”
The Tigers, who advance to the semifinals to play No. 2 seed Chatsworth on Friday, Nov. 17, came back from 12 points down in the fourth quarter.
They took the lead for good when receiver Isaiah Castro took a handoff around the edge for a 25-yard touchdown run with 1:51 to go.
“We called it a couple times and they kept stuffing it,” Burnley. “It was really frustrating for us. But at the end of the day, we just knew that if we called it at the right time, we could take it to the house and that’s exactly what happened.”
The score was preceded by a third-quarter, 32-yard rushing score on a keeper by quarterback Adrian Anguiano.
Anguiano also threw a 20-yard touchdown to Castro.
Sophomore Melvin Pineda racked up 116 yards on 10 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown. He also shined at linebacker on defense, helping force a turnover on downs on the Rough Riders’ final drive when he had a pass breakup and a tackle for loss.
“Melvin always plays to the top of his game,” said Burnley. “He’s always given 110% or more. And we can always count on him. And he did what Melvin does.”
Sophomore Atmixtli Lopez stood out for the Rough Riders (5-7). He caught a 39-yard touchdown pass and intercepted a pass.
Chatsworth is a familiar foe for San Fernando.
“We play Chatsworth every year in our opening scrimmage game,” said Burnley. “Yeah, so we’ve seen them. I’m good friends with (Chatsworth coach Marvin) Street. He’s a great coach and it’s going to be a great game.”