Football: San Fernando (2-0) is a team on the rise

It has taken three years for San Fernando to finally overcome the loss of quarterback Cris Solano, who last wore a San Fernando uniform in 2013. Solano helped lead the Tigers to City Section Division II championships in 2012 and 2013.

After seasons of 6-6 and 4-6, the Tigers are back. They improved to 2-0 on Thursday night with a 52-7 rout of Taft in which junior quarterback Joshua Garcia passed for five touchdowns.

It has been a team effort. Garcia has a good group of receivers, the line is blocking and San Fernando added players off a 10-0 JV team from last season.

Coach Robert Garcia (no relation) said he has been excited because of how close and hard working his players are this season.

“They’ve had their ups and downs,” he said. “They were fed up with losing. They’re excited; they’re listening. These are home-grown San Fernando Valley kids.”

Solano, now at Nevada, did so many things for the Tigers that it’s been difficult to move on. It also didn’t help that San Fernando was promoted to Division I. But Robert Garcia stayed the course, trying to build from the bottom up. And it appears to be paying off.

San Fernando gets University next Friday, followed by South Gate and could make a run for many more wins during the regular season. But Garcia has been preaching “one game at a time.”

“1 and 0,” he says each week.

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