Granada Hills, San Fernando Renew Rivalry

What would a high school football season be without Granada Hills facing San Fernando?

Thanks to the City Section seeding committee, we won’t find out.

Releaguing threatened to keep these rivals from meeting for the first time since 1966, but they play tonight at San Fernando in the first round of the City Championship playoffs.

Granada Hills blasted the Tigers, 49-7, last season to end a three-game San Fernando winning streak in the series, but this game should be close.

San Fernando is 9-1 and Granada Hills is 8-2. Both finished in a three-way tie for a league title.

“San Fernando has had a great year; this will be a real challenge,” said Darryl Stroh, Granada Hills co-coach.

Granada Hills opened in 1960 and first played San Fernando seven years later with the advent of the Mid-Valley League. San Fernando leads the series, 20-14.

Among the highlights:

* In 1977, John Elway threw a touchdown pass with 17 seconds to play to give Granada Hills a 40-35 victory.

* In 1993, Leon Blunt scrambled 80 yards with no time remaining to give San Fernando a 28-25 victory.

This will be the third playoff meeting. San Fernando won, 22-15, in a 1974 semifinal, four years after Granada Hills won the City title with a 38-28 victory before 10,000 at Birmingham High.

The 1970 game matched All-City quarterbacks Dana Potter of Granada Hills and Anthony Davis of San Fernando, both of whom still hold several school records.

“There are certain parts I can remember as if it happened yesterday,” said Potter, a Valley businessman who regularly attends high school games.

“It was our great rivalry and a lot of fun. The teams did not like each other very well back then.”

The championship game ended with fights breaking out on the field and in the stands. However, Potter and Davis eventually became friends.

“We used to get together every year,” Potter said. “The rivalry aspect has died down, which I think is good. With open enrollment and busing, it’s not like the games are one neighborhood against another.”

Still, what would a season be without the Highlanders facing the Tigers?

“Somehow I knew we’d play them,” lineman Brad Cohn of Granada Hills said. “You get the feeling you never quite finish anything against San Fernando.”