BALDWIN PARK – South Hills trailed twice in the first half but took the lead for good with 10:45 left in the second quarter and held on to the advantage in a 52-29 victory over Baldwin Park in both teams’ season opener on Friday.

Both teams suffered from their usual opening night nerves and had several turnovers, but the Huskies were eventually able to wear down the Braves and take the win.

“We had a lot of nerves early on and mistakes that we need to iron out,” Huskies coach Jacob Calderon said. “We have a lot of guys who don’t have varsity experience, but those turnovers and botched punts are all things we can iron out.”

The Huskies scored the first point with a 28-yard field goal by junior Breanna Castruita.

Senior Danny Resendiz carried the opening kickoff 69 yards to the Braves’ 8-yard line, but the defense held firm and forced Castruita to kick a field goal.

Castruita also converted all seven of her extra point attempts, leaving no doubt that she would earn her spot in her first try at varsity football.

“My dad laid the foundation for me in middle school,” Castruita said. “I play on the varsity and club teams, but now I’m in my third year and I really wanted to do this. So I set up a tryout with my coach and here I am.”

The Braves came back immediately: Mark Carbajal ran 65 yards for a touchdown on the Braves’ first play and took a 6-3 lead when their attempt at an extra point failed.

Carbajal was the best runner with 151 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns.

The Huskies took a 10-6 lead, but then had a safety when Carbajal tackled the Huskies’ punter after a botched snap. Elvis Diaz then returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown, giving the Braves a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“I thought the second half was a lot better,” Calderon said. “We came out and put a little pressure on them, and then we put a little more pressure on them and were able to run the ball.”

After that, the South Hills running game came to life and they ran for 369 yards.

Junior Tyler Arguinzona led the attack, carrying the ball 24 times for 124 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

Resendiz managed 105 yards on nine attempts and two touchdowns, and Landon Hansen added 77 yards on eight attempts before leaving the game with a leg injury.