Los Amigos football christens home field with comeback victory

There was an undeniable charm in seeing a high school football game in its purest form.

Absent the bells and whistles of a full-sized scoreboard, as well as the comfort of a press box in a stadium, Los Amigos had perhaps the most important thing going for it — school pride.

Student-filled bleachers, a marching band eager to play the fight song, and a public address announcer calling the game from the corner of the west end zone were just some of the sights and sounds in the Lobos’ first varsity football game on campus.

Then the Lobos gave the hometown crowd an ending to remember.

Chris Flores’ run up the middle for a two-point conversion with 19 seconds left was the difference in a 28-27 nonleague victory for Los Amigos over San Bernardino on Thursday night.

“We couldn’t have written it any better, man,” Los Amigos coach Romel Guess said. “I thought it made it epic. I thought it gave a good show to the people in the community, and that was the biggest part of why we wanted to have a game here.

“We’re trying to change the culture and get not just the people on campus excited but the people in the surrounding areas excited. Hard to do that when you’re always playing a game 10 or 15 minutes away from your school. To come here and see what we saw today with the bleachers, the makeshift setup was beautiful.”

Los Amigos trailed 27-13 in the second half, but the Lobos scored on their last two drives and opted to go for the win late. The final score reflected the Lobos’ only lead of the game.

“It was on my mind from the moment we got the ball back,” Guess said of going for the two-point attempt. “My mind was already made up. If we score, we were going for the [win].”

Flores took over as the backup quarterback after starter Maysen Navarro left in the first quarter due to a shoulder injury. Navarro scored the first touchdown for the Lobos on the school’s new field, a 4-yard run at the end of a 10-play drive.

Miguel Radilla followed two outside blocks from Adrian Ramirez and Pedro Hernandez to turn a tunnel screen into a 55-yard touchdown on the next possession.

Otherwise, the Lobos moved the ball methodically down the field. Flores connected with Isaac Galindo for an 8-yard touchdown just beyond the defensive line in the third quarter.

Now trailing 27-20 late in the third quarter, Los Amigos (1-0) had multiple chances to get off the field. A sack by Alejandro Carrillo forced a punt, but the Lobos were called for roughing the punter.

Later in the drive, the Lobos were victimized by a defensive pass interference penalty on a long third down. With San Bernardino (1-1) in the red zone with a chance to put the game on ice, Los Amigos caught a break when a field-goal attempt came up short of the uprights.

The Lobos took over with 4:54 left in the game and used all the clock on a 14-play, 80-yard drive. It immediately headed in the wrong direction, as the offense faced a third-and-18 play after a false start penalty.

Flores found Ramirez up the left seam for a 27-yard gain. He went on to carry the ball seven times before the end of the possession, picking up a critical fourth down with a patient run up the middle at midfield.

“It’s just like a new feeling to me,” said Flores, who produced 196 total yards and three touchdowns. “I feel like it wasn’t just me. It was like mostly the whole team. The linemen, they took a big lead in that.”

Ramirez was the target again when the Lobos went in for the late score, running a right-to-left post to get open for a 20-yard touchdown. After Flores ran in for the go-ahead two-point conversion, Ramirez made a game-ending interception.

“First home game at our school in history,” Ramirez said. “I was taking it in, but at the same time, I was like, ‘You got to stay focused.’ You got to win this game, so that we’re not on the bad side of history.”

San Bernardino rushed for 234 yards as a team, led by Isaiah Lopez, who had nine carries for 97 yards and three touchdowns.

Nonleague

Los Amigos 28, San Bernardino 27

SCORE BY QUARTERS

FIRST QUARTER

SB - Lopez 52 run (Alvarado kick), 8:38.

LA - Navarro 4 run (Navarro pass failed), 3:50.

SB - Lopez 13 run (Alvarado kick), 1:28.

SECOND QUARTER

LA - Radilla 55 pass from Flores (Radilla kick), 10:22.

SB - Stanley 15 run (Alvarado kick), 3:28.

THIRD QUARTER

SB - Lopez 4 run (Alvarado kick failed), 8:19.

LA - Galindo 8 pass from Flores (Radilla kick), 3:24.

FOURTH QUARTER

LA - Ramirez 20 pass from Flores (Flores run), 0:19.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

SB — Lopez, 9-97, 3 TDs; Hernandez, 18-54; Stanley, 8-53, 1 TD.

LA — Flores, 12-57; Navarro, 5-32, 1 TD; Hernandez, 8-32.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

SB — Alvarez, 2-6-1, 48.

LA — Flores, 9-13-0, 139, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

SB — Barrios, 2-48.

LA — Ramirez, 7-78, 1 TD; Radilla, 3-63, 1 TD; Galindo, 2-10, 1 TD.