Dash of Townsend Flavors San Fernando Win

Maybe Tom Hernandez has stopped being surprised about the seemingly endless supply of talented running backs that show up at San Fernando High.

One of this year’s prodigies is sophomore running back-defensive back LaKarlos Townsend, who is battling for playing time on both sides of the ball.

In Friday night’s Northwest Valley Conference game, Townsend intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and, finally, returned a kickoff for a touchdown to break open a seven-point game as San Fernando won its third consecutive game with a 26-6 win over El Camino Real at San Fernando.

San Fernando is 3-3, 3-0 in conference play.

Need a description of Townsend’s talent? Let’s give it a shot, Tom.

“He’s, uh, well . . .” said Hernandez, the San Fernando coach, his voice trailing off as he broke into a smile. “I guess he’s a game-breaker.”

What Townsend is, is the future.

“We’re setting them up for next year while they’re helping us this year. It works both ways,” San Fernando quarterback Michael Wynn said of younger players like Townsend and running back William Taylor, who gained 57 yards in six carries.

Townsend’s damage worked both ways, to be sure. After El Camino Real’s Jamal Anderson scored on a one-yard leap over the left side to cut the San Fernando lead to 13-6 with 1:05 left in the third quarter, Townsend broke it open.

Townsend fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 15 and sped down the middle of the field for the score, delivering the knockout punch that gave the Tigers a 19-6 lead. It was Townsend’s second kickoff return for a touchdown this season.

Earlier, he set up San Fernando’s first score with a bone-crunching tackle on special teams.

That touchdown came on Wynn’s 14-yard scoring pass to Danny Wright, which moved Wynn into a tie with Stephen Jones with 27 career touchdown passes, the second-best mark in school history. Wynn needs two more to tie Anthony Davis.