Birmingham Self-Destructs in San Fernando’s Win

San Fernando High Coach Tom Hernandez stared at the much-trodden sod of his football field and smiled.

He looked at the school’s new scoreboard, which this season has been a light with points aplenty, his team averaging 33.6 a game.

In the first round of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs Friday night, San Fernando had moments when it could do no right, and others when it could do no wrong.

“Geez, we don’t feel real good about it, but look at the scoreboard,” Hernandez said. “I’m getting spoiled.”

Despite sputtering at times, San Fernando beat Birmingham, 35-7, although the Braves were largely responsible for their problems.

Birmingham (7-3) dropped 10 passes and twice failed to take advantage of Tiger turnovers in San Fernando territory.

“I just kept telling them, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ll come back next time,’ ” said Birmingham quarterback Vince Lampkin, who completed seven of 26 passes for 16 yards.

He uttered the phrase quite often. The worst drop came in the first quarter, when Birmingham was still very much alive and well. With Birmingham trailing, 7-0, normally sure-handed wideout Patrick Abdelkerim dropped a sure 63-yard touchdown bomb from Lampkin.

The Tigers’ defense did the rest. Birmingham managed just 46 yards, 12 on the last play.

“The defense kept us in it,” Hernandez said. “We have to play better than this down the road or we’re in trouble.”

San Fernando (10-1) will face Sylmar in the second round Wednesday night. Sylmar, located a few miles from San Fernando, defeated Venice, 14-0, Friday night. The schools have not played since 1968.

With San Fernando staked to a 16-7 halftime lead, the San Fernando special teams broke the game open in the third quarter. Flip Aguilar blocked a Lampkin punt and Donny McCrary scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 27 yards to give the Tigers a 22-7 lead.

San Fernando running back Brian Brison led all ballcarriers with 86 yards in five carries. He also took some snaps at quarterback in the fourth quarter, and scored on a 35-yard option keeper for the game’s final score.

Tiger running back LaKarlos Townsend, seeing his first full action in four weeks, was held to 45 yards in 15 carries, but scored on runs of nine and 17 yards. Tiger sophomore quarterback Leon Blunt struggled, completing four of 13 passes for 59 yards and one touchdown.

Neither team seemed interested in asserting itself in a mistake-filled first half. Townsend fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, but the Tiger defense held.

San Fernando, in fact, twice turned the ball over inside its 40, but the defense turned away Birmingham each time. Birmingham, which lost 22 yards on a bad snap, was held to minus-three yards in the half.

San Fernando took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a nine-yard option pitch from Blunt to Townsend, who received a perfect block from Prince Rawlins as he bolted around right end. Brison sparked the drive with a 56-yard run.

San Fernando’s next drive stalled at its eight-yard line and punter Brian Jackson’s punt into a stiff breeze was fielded at the 33 by Mike Moguel, who burned up the right side of the field for a touchdown that tied the score, 7-7.

San Fernando took a 13-7 lead with 3 minutes 1 second left in the half on a 17-yard run by Townsend. The drive was aided by Birmingham’s defense, which committed three penalties for 35 yards.