Junior cornerback Aiden Celis recovered a fumble at San Fernando's 22-yard line with 1:27 left and the second-seeded Tigers held on to beat No. 1 seed Cleveland 21-14 at Birmingham High.
This is City (11-3)'s ninth title and first since 2017.
Melvin Pineda burst into the end zone on fourth down and scored from the one-yard line to cap San Fernando's first drive, and after teammate Brandan Marshall recovered the ball at the Tigers' 46, Pineda capped the ensuing possession with another one-yard touchdown, his sixth of the playoffs, to make it 14-0.
Cleveland marched to the San Fernando eight-yard line late in the second quarter, but Samael Cerritos' 25-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright.
Oluwafemi Okeola intercepted a fumbled pass at the San Fernando 46 early in the third quarter, and nine plays later, quarterback Domenic Fuentes scored from 3 yards out to pull the top-seeded Cavaliers within eight.
Brandon Maldonado's three runs netted 37 yards, setting up Fuentes' one-yard plunge, and Joseph Hurtado's two-point conversion that tied the game at 14-14 with 9:33 left.
San Fernando responded with a 75-yard run, retaking the lead on Andrew Newchurch's two-yard run, his 16th touchdown of the season, and Isaac Ortega's extra point with 4:36 left in the game.
“It was probably my last [high school] football game and we won,” Newchurch said. “The game was congested and wide open. We're proud to add to the school's legacy – it's been a while since we won City.
Last season, the Tigers lost to eventual champion Chatsworth in the first round of the Division II playoffs.
Cleveland (5-9) was vying for its first City title.
