Trevino Presides Over Verdugo Hills Victory

VAN NUYS — As the student body president at Verdugo Hills High, Alex Trevino is involved in all sorts of school activities.

He’s also showed he’s quite versatile on the football field, making two plays Friday to help the Dons to a 20-14 come-from-behind victory at Grant.

Trevino usually plays outside linebacker, but he started at defensive end against Grant because of injuries and returned an interception 10 yards for the winning touchdown with 1 minute 58 seconds left in the game.

On Grant’s ensuing possession, he sacked the Lancers’ Rigo Sanchez for a 19-yard loss on third down and 10.

When Sanchez’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete, players on the Dons’ sideline erupted in celebration.

“Our coach is always telling us not to give up, no matter what the score is in the game and it paid off today,” Trevino said. “He always tells us to give 110% and you never know what will happen.”

With the score tied, 6-6, late in the third quarter, Verdugo Hills appeared to be driving toward a go-ahead touchdown, but Lancer defensive back Tele Moa intercepted a pass at the Grant 19-yard line after it bounced off the hands of the Dons’ Ethan Slimak.

Hector Quintanilla scored on a 71-yard run three plays later and a two-point conversion pass from Sanchez to Oscar Gutierrez gave the Lancers a 14-6 lead with 1:14 left in the period.

After Verdugo Hills punted on its ensuing possession, Grant ran several minutes off the clock with six consecutive running plays. But the Dons got a big break when punter Eduardo Mendoza mishandled the snap on fourth down from the Grant 37 and was thrown for a 15-yard loss.

Verdugo Hills running back Sean Stanley broke two tackles on a 22-yard touchdown run on the next play to cut Verdugo Hills’ deficit to 14-12 with 2:53 remaining, and Charlie Coronado’s two-point conversion run tied the score.

Grant’s problems continued on the ensuing possession when Sanchez threw two incomplete passes before Trevino tipped a pass into the air with his left hand, hauled it in and returned it for the winning touchdown.

“I had intercepted three passes last year so I felt like I had a chance at it after I tipped it,” Trevino said. “Thank God I was able to.”

Coronado gained 95 yards in seven carries for Verdugo Hills and Stanley added 87 yards in 12 carries.

Don quarterback Cory Reisner completed four of six passes for 62 yards before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter after taking a hard hit.

Quintanilla led Grant with 71 yards rushing--on one carry--and Luis Escamilla added 70 yards in nine carries.

Sanchez completed eight of 18 passes for 106 yards for the Lancers.