Different Tack Gives Eagle Rock Victory : Prep football: Navarette’s pass to Fontamillas beats Verdugo Hills, 14-7, for Eagles.

It was a perfect pass, a fine catch, but perhaps not a fitting end.

It was the winning score in Eagle Rock High’s 14-7 victory at Verdugo Hills, a pass down the seam of the Dons’ defense for 21 yards with just over seven minutes to play.

Eruve Navarette threw it. John Fontamillas caught it. But Ismael Lagunas deserved it.

Lagunas was the dominant player all game for the Eagles (5-1, 2-1 in the City Section Northern Conference), catching five passes for 43 yards and having another seven thrown in his direction. He was responsible for four first downs, kicked two extra points, played safety and caused a fumble. He also returned punts and kickoffs.

“He did the work for us today,” Eagle Rock Coach Steve Wahl said.

And indirectly he did the work on the final scoring play.

“The safety was cheating to Izzy’s side,” Fontamillas said. “I just ran up the seam.”

He ran any chance of a tie out of the stadium, much to the dismay of Verdugo Hills (2-4, 1-2), which played so poorly that a tie would have seemed a victory.

The Dons had 97 yards of offense.

Don quarterback Ethan Slimak completed only three of nine passes for 31 yards and threw two interceptions, one on the first play of the game.

“I guess you could say with those numbers that it was the perfect game for us defensively,” Wahl said.

Although the game did not start pretty, it looked as if it might blossom after Navarette closed a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard plunge at the start of the second quarter. Verdugo Hills answered with a 10-play, 66-yard march, capped by Miguel Nolasco’s three-yard score.

In the third quarter, Eagle Rock kept at it with Lagunas, who seemed to be Navarette’s only option at times. The Eagle quarterback was 11 of 22 for 133 yards.

Verdugo Hills’ backfield duo of William Claros and Sean Stanley ran out of steam. They combined for 74 yards in 14 carries in the first half, but only 20 yards in nine carries in the second.

“I think we just wore them down,” Wahl said.