San Fernando football fends off Chavez with big plays in second half

SAN FERNANDO – The San Fernando football team looked to its version of a Swiss Army knife as it took on Chavez in a nonleague game Thursday night.

Senior Isaiah Castro wound up leading the way to a 35-14 win by scoring three touchdowns — two on runs, one on a reception — for the Tigers (1-1).

Castro finished with a game-high 128 total yards by rushing three times for 63 yards and catching four passes for 65 yards. He also recorded two pass breakups on defense.

“He’s amazing,” said San Fernando coach Charles Burnley. “He’s an impact player for us. He’s an all-league player for us. Anytime he’s got the ball, you better watch out because he makes things happen.”

Castro’s first score came with 4:46 remaining in the first quarter when Aaron Celis connected with him on a 41-yard touchdown pass.

“My blockers opened things up for me,” Castro said, “and my quarterback, Aaron Celis, I’d just like to thank him for throwing good passes.

“Aaron Celis is a dog, always throwing the ball at the right times.”

San Fernando’s defense wasn’t fazed that Chavez started a first-quarter drive on the Tigers 34. After pushing their opponents backwards, San Fernando forced a turnover on downs and that set up Castro’s first score.

Chavez tied it at 8 in the second quarter when Aaron Fajardo returned an interception 65 yards for a score.

The Eagles (0-2) also got an interception from Isaac Diaz and they recorded six sacks in the first half, but found themselves trailing at halftime after the Tigers’ Brandon Robinson rushed for a 9-yard touchdown with 2:02 left in the second period.

San Fernando’s Melvin Pineda intercepted a pass on the opening drive of the third quarter and Castro took advantage of the short field three plays later. The senior speedster took an end around in for a 9-yard touchdown.

Later in the quarter, a blocked punt set up San Fernando’s offense with a short field. Diaz plunged into the end zone on a 3-yard keeper.

On the first play of the fourth, Pineda rushed for a 28-yard touchdown to give San Fernando a 27-14 lead.

“That was big,” said Burnley. “They’re a good team and they’re going to hang around if you let them.”

Jay Arana, who recorded a pair of interceptions for the Tigers, also threw a TD pass for their final score of the night. On fourth down, he connected with Castro for a 9-yard score.

“Our guys are resilient,” said Burnley. “A lot of our guys have to go both ways, so they get gassed. We told them ‘hey, you gotta leave everything on the field tonight.’ They listened and they showed up.”