HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Hernandez Connects With Romero to Rally L.A. Baptist, 16-15

Quarterback Zack Hernandez threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jim Romero midway through the fourth quarter to cap L.A. Baptist High’s 16-15 victory over host Oak Park on Thursday in a nonleague football game.

Hernandez completed 13 of 21 passes for 233 yards and Romero had seven receptions for 146 yards. In three games, Hernandez has passed for 869 yards.

Oak Park quarterback Ron Allen completed nine of 16 passes for 96 yards, and rushed for 64 yards in eight carries. However, L.A. Baptist’s Chad Ruffner intercepted his pass at midfield with seven seconds left in the game to preserve the victory--L.A. Baptist’s third in as many games.

Early in the second quarter, Allen’s six-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Ewald had tied the score, 6-6. Oak Park (1-2) then put together an 88-yard, 13-play drive on its next possession, but had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Ewald and a 9-6 lead.

Mark Schwanauer scored on a seven-yard run midway through the third quarter to give the Eagles a 15-6 advantage. L.A. Baptist trimmed the deficit to 15-9 on Adrian Nagy’s 35-yard field goal late in the period.

Matt Hernandez, Zack’s twin brother, caught three passes for 44 yards and teammate Dana Berg had six carries for 14 yards and three receptions for 43 yards.

In other nonleague games:

San Fernando 49, Palisades 7--Brian Jackson scored three touchdowns and quarterback Leon Blunt passed for two as San Fernando (2-1) dominated at home.

Blunt, who completed four of 14 passes for 146 yards, hit Jackson for a 53-yard score in the first quarter and added a 49-yard touchdown pass to Flip Aguilar in the third period.

Larry Ford scored on runs of 13 and 43 yards in the fourth quarter to round out the Tigers’ scoring.

San Fernando limited Palisades (0-3) to 25 yards rushing.

Reseda 15, Birmingham 6--Travion Trammel rushed for 74 yards and intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter to keep visiting Reseda unbeaten.

The Regents (3-0) trailed, 6-0, at halftime and had only 64 yards in offense before running backs Trammel and Tyrone Francis keyed a second-half comeback. Francis gained 17 of his 56 third-quarter yards to give Reseda a first down at the Braves’ nine-yard line. Trammel took an option pitch and scored on the next play to tie the score. Alonzo Arreola’s extra-point attempt missed.

On Reseda’s next possession, quarterback Reggie James ran seven yards from the Birmingham 13 before he lateraled to wide receiver Greg Gines, who carried it in for a 12-6 Reseda lead. Arreola made a 21-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.

The Regents gained 124 yards in the second half and 188 for the game, all on the ground. Birmingham (2-1) gained 173 yards in the game, but only 51 in the second half.

Braves tailback Courtney Blunt broke 100 yards rushing for the third consecutive game, finishing with 105 in 21 carries. The only score of the first half came on Blunt’s one-yard run that capped an 80-yard drive.

Paul Prince started at quarterback for Birmingham, with last week’s starter, Marvin Powell III, moving to tight end. Prince completed five of nine passes for 62 yards with the one interception.

Chatsworth 27, Canoga Park 13--Running back Shon Alexander rushed for two touchdowns and threw a 69-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option play to lead the Chancellors at Canoga Park.

Alexander rushed for 142 yards in 18 attempts, including scoring runs of 31 and 53 yards, but his pass to wide receiver Aristol Melchor in the second quarter gave Chatsworth (2-1) the lead for good.

Defensive back Kevin Perryman returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game to seal the win. Perryman had three interceptions.

Canoga Park (0-3) wide receiver Mario Arce caught three passes for 70 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown from quarterback Jody Edington in the first quarter. Hunter running back Rogelio Sanchez scored on an eight-yard run in the fourth quarter. Matt Groff led Canoga Park with 66 yards in 11 rushes.

Chatsworth quarterback Aaron Hummel completed four of 11 passes for 60 yards. The Chancellors had 326 yards of offense.

Ventura 27, Granada Hills 6--Junior quarterback Eric Olson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead the host Cougars (2-1).

Olson, who was two of five passing for 32 yards, teamed with Aaron Kelly on a 26-yard scoring pass in the second quarter, and scored on runs from 14 and 23 yards. He rushed 11 times for 86 yards.

Ventura running back Aaron Davis (17 carries for 158 yards) ran in from 29 yards to cap a five-play, 64-yard opening drive. Natalie Dorr’s conversion kick made her the first female to score points in school history.

Granada Hills (0-3) avoided the shutout when quarterback Jimmy Landress scored from one yard with six seconds left in the second quarter. Landress completed 17 of 31 for 156 yards.

Calabasas 19, Serra 13--Calabasas (2-1), which trailed, 7-0, at halftime, ground out 242 yards in the second half and rallied for 19 points in the fourth period.

Calabasas quarterback Ziad Bawarshi’s 47-yard completion to David Wymer set up Bawarshi’s one-yard sneak that gave the Coyotes a 19-13 lead with 33 seconds remaining.

Calabasas tied the score, 7-7, on Matt Findlay’s eight-yard run early in the fourth period. Findlay (18 carries, 101 yards) then bounced the kickoff off Kevin Foreman and recovered it himself at the Serra 43. Seven plays later, Bawarshi (five of 11, 105 yards) scored from the one to give the Coyotes a 13-7 lead.

Serra (1-2) tied the score at 13 on DeWayne Hervey’s 53-yard touchdown pass to Richard Boyer with 6 minutes 46 seconds left. Boyer also returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown.

Calabasas rushed for 241 yards and held Serra to 28 yards on the ground. Coyote fullback Terry Ng had 83 yards in 13 carries.

Santa Barbara 19, Agoura 14--The host Dons (2-1) overcame a 14-0 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Agoura, which played without Coach Frank Greminger, who has been hospitalized with chest pains.

Torlando Bolden, who had been held to 19 yards in 10 carries until early in the fourth quarter, scored on runs of 40 and 25 yards in the final period. He finished with 150 yards in 18 carries.

Bolden’s second touchdown cut the Chargers’ lead to 14-13 with seven minutes remaining.

Quarterback Brian Robinson then hit Bryan Corlett with an eight-yard pass with 1:24 remaining to give the Dons the lead. Eric Fitzgerald completed seven of 13 for 98 yards and one touchdown to lead Agoura (1-2). Raymond Howden, who alternated at quarterback with Fitzgerald, completed seven of 11 passes for 81 yards and one touchdown.

Barstow 15, Littlerock 2--Junior fullback James Durrough ran for two scores and the Aztec defense did the rest at Palmdale High.

Durrough, who carried four times for 34 yards, opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown run and later scored on a one-yard plunge to give Barstow (3-0) a 13-2 lead in the first half.

Littlerock (1-2) had a chance to take the lead early in the second quarter after driving to the Aztec one-yard line, but junior tailback Bryan Wilkins was stopped on a fourth and goal.