Taft Not Starr-Crossed This Time

It took him three years, but Taft High Coach Troy Starr got a monkey off his back Friday night by beating his former team for the first time.

But because that team is San Fernando, it wasn’t easy.

The Tigers scored three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter without Taft’s offense touching the ball, as San Fernando recovered two perfectly executed onside kicks.

San Fernando closed to within 35-28 before Taft (8-1, 6-0) ran out the clock to clinch the Northwest Valley Conference championship.

“This is a real trip,” said an exuberant Starr, who was an assistant at San Fernando for five years before taking the Taft job three years ago.

“Those onside kicks were just beautiful,” he said. “But we’ll take it.”

In each of the previous two seasons, Starr’s Toreadors have jumped out to big leads but lost when San Fernando rallied.

Taft cruised to a 35-10 lead in the third quarter, thoroughly stifling San Fernando (5-4, 4-2) and intercepting three of quarterback Larry Logan’s passes.

But San Fernando’s Larry Ford scored on a nine-yard run early in the fourth quarter to cut it to 35-16.

Then came the onside kicks by Richardo Revas. Logan (eight for 18, 208 yards, two touchdowns) finished the first drive with a 48-yard scoring pass play to Marcus Jones. Larry Ford ended the next drive with a five-yard run.

But then the Tigers kicked deep and Taft ran out the final seven minutes 46 seconds with a methodical 13-play drive.

Running back Jerry Brown carried the ball nine times on the drive and finished with 166 yards and three touchdowns in 30 carries.

Taft’s DaShon Polk caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Dayon Shaw, who completed six of nine for 111 yards.