Buena trails Oxnard, 29-28. It’s third and...

Buena trails Oxnard, 29-28. It’s third and 26, 99 yards from the end zone, one minute, 13 seconds to play. Something runs through the mind of quarterback Jason Isaacs, something his coach at Buena High, Rick Scott, has told the team many times.

“If you play hard for all 48 minutes, anything is possible.”

Isaacs takes the snap and rolls into the Buena end zone. Fullback Richard Harris makes a key block and Isaacs sprints for a 19-yard gain. Oxnard is guilty of a personal foul and the ball is advanced to the 35 for a first down.

Isaacs hits running back Tony Williams with a screen pass and Williams carries it to the Oxnard 35, a gain of 30 yards. Scott calls the same play and it goes for a 26-yard pick-up to the nine-yard line with 25 seconds left. “That was such a good call,” Isaacs says. “You don’t call two screens in a row. They weren’t ready for it.”

Time for one play before a field-goal attempt. Williams goes in motion, Isaacs takes the snap and fades back only one step before lofting a pass softly over the Oxnard secondary into the hands of Williams. Buena wins the Channel League opener, 35-28.

“The offensive line has improved 100% every week, in their technique and in their mental aspect,” says Isaacs, who passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns, completing 13 of 22. “We picked each other up as a team, which was great.”