This beating Birmingham High School in openers is becoming a habit for Garfield.

For the second year in a row, the Bulldogs have opened the football season with a close victory over Birmingham, perennially one of the City Section’s upper-division powers.

They did it last Friday when Christian Hoyos kicked a 20-yard field goal with seven seconds left to edge the Barons, 25-24. Birmingham had taken a 24-22 lead 63 seconds earlier on a 34-yard field goal by Brian Gutierrez.

The game did not start well for Garfield, which found itself trailing, 15-0 after one quarter.

But behind quarterback Jonathan Lazo (14-of-23 for 195 yards, two touchdowns), the Bulldogs rallied.

Lazo’s 20-yard scoring pass to Bobby Vargas in the second quarter was their one score in the first half.

After Birmingham answered with a third TD for a 21-7 lead, Garfield got a little closer on a two-yard run by Jonathan Lopez (18 carries, 112 yards).

A five-yard scoring pass from Lazo to Vargas (five catches, 67 yards) with 2:48 left gave the Bulldogs a brief, 22-21 lead.

Defensively, William Fonseca and Jonathan Valles were each involved in six tackles for Garfield. Moses Saucedo and Alfonso Valdez each had sacks.

Birmingham quarterback Max Smith tested the Bulldog secondary all night by completing 17 of 25 passes for 310 yards, including touchdown strikes to Davontae Perry-Brooks of 82 and 31 yards. Perry-Brooks had seven receptions for 179 yards.

Perry-Brooks gave the Barons an early lead when he returned a fumble 24 yards for a score just 23 seconds into the contest.

Garfield hosts St. Paul Friday.

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In another game involving an Eastern League team, South East defeated North Hollywood, 21-2.

Robert Lewis had 149 yards and two scores to lead the Jaguars, who limited North Hollywood to 188 yards. Fernando Magana scored the other TD on a pass reception.

North Hollywood’s only points came on a safety in the third quarter when South East quarterback Gilberto Rivera was sacked in the end zone.

Miguel Montes and Allen Hall were each involved in nine tackles for South East, which faces Narbonne Friday. David Godoy had an interception.