Van Nuys Rallies Past Birmingham

The Birmingham High football team let a 20-point lead slip away at Van Nuys on Friday night as the Wolves came fighting back in the second half for a 38-27 victory in a pivotal East Valley League game.

It was more than just a league loss for Birmingham, which took itself out of playoff contention.

By beating Birmingham (5-4), Van Nuys (6-4) clinched a playoff berth and will advance as the league’s No. 2 representative. Although Van Nuys and Birmingham each finished 4-3 in league play, the tiebreaker is based on head-to-head competition.

Trailing, 20-6, at halftime, Van Nuys scored on its first three possessions of the second half to take its first lead, 26-20.

Tasheeri Walker’s spectacular 59-yard punt return brought the crowd to its feet and tied the score, 20-20, breathing new life into the Wolves.

Birmingham fought back to reclaim the lead, 27-26, early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Paul Holt hit sophomore tight end Marvin Powell for a 20-yard score.

But the Wolves retaliated on their next possession, driving 59 yards and scoring on a 15-yard run by Efrain Martinez for a 32-27 lead.

Bill Calhoun’s two-yard touchdown plunge with five seconds left iced the victory.

Birmingham went three downs and out on its first possession but scored touchdowns on its next three and jumped to a 20-0 lead with 4 minutes 8 seconds remaining in the first half.

It was the Braves’ big-play defense that seemed to spark the offense. Holt, who also played linebacker, picked off a Van Nuys pass at his team’s 35 to stop the Wolves’ first drive.

On the next play tailback Sam Larios bolted through a hole in the middle and ran past the coverage untouched 65 yards for the touchdown.