Despite 131 Yards by Brookins, East Wins Football Game, 19-14

As summer high school football games go, Friday night’s fourth Burbank-Glendale all-star football game at Sylmar High was typical of most, and better than some.

Tempers flared, flags flew, footballs were fumbled and, in between, there was some pretty good football played.

The East, capitalizing on five West turnovers, posted a 19-14 victory to avenge last year’s one-point defeat and take a 2-1-1 lead in the series.

There were eight turnovers and officials walked off 199 yards in penalties--the biggest call a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on West tackle Francisco Flores as the West was marching for the potential go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.

The West trailed, 19-14, at the time, and had marched from its 34-yard line to the East four with less than four minutes to play. On third and one, officials cited Flores for allegedly taunting an opponent, and placed the ball back at the 19. Ryan Walker threw incomplete on third down, then tossed a one-yard completion to Richard Dice.

The East took over and ran out the final two and a half minutes.

“I’ve never seen anything like that. The referees took the game away from us,” West Coach Fred Cuccia said. “Flores told me that all he said to the other player was ‘We’re going in to score.’ He’s from my team (Poly). He doesn’t lie to me.”

Tobaise Brookins of Sylmar led the West with a game-high 131 yards in 18 carries, and put the West ahead, 14-13, when he raced 45 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth period.

Walker, also of Sylmar, completed eight of 17 passes for 110 yards.

The East scored the winning touchdown on a two-yard pass from Jose Rodriguez to Hector Ortega with 7:14 to play.

The East’s Pathon Rucker, an All-Southern Section star from Glendale, was limited to 38 yards in seven carries--31 coming on his last carry.

The West held the East to 89 rushing yards.

Despite the fact it had nearly as many fumbles (two) as first downs (five) in the first half, the East took a 13-7 halftime lead.

Two West miscues led to East touchdowns in the first half. The East’s Carlos Groom recovered a Brookins fumble at the West 36-yard line late in the first period, and the East scored seven plays later on a four-yard run by Rucker to take a 7-0 lead.

Early in the second period, East quarterback Jose Rodriguez scampered 20 yards for a touchdown.