A Good Week For Fairfax Football

Now that’s more like it.

After an opening 37-point loss, Fairfax High’s football team won its first game of the season Friday with a 27-21 overtime victory at Canoga Park, then head coach Shane Cox was honored on Saturday by being named ABC-TV’s Channel 7 NFL Coach of the Week on the network’s nightly Sports Zone show.

In the win at Canoga Park, Eric Pugh scored the winning touchdown on an 11-run after the visiting Lions had held Canoga Park scoreless on the first possession in overtime.

Fairfax (1-1), the defending City Section Division II champion, was able to hang on after surrendering an eight-point lead with 17 seconds left, as Canoga Park scored on a 13-yard pass from Fabian Alomar to Anthony Bell, followed by a successful two-point conversion reception from Alomar to Khyree Morgan.

“It was a very exciting football game,” Cox said. “Canoga Park was everything we thought they would be. They’re a good team. It was great to get the first win of the 2011 season.”

Pugh rushed for 99 yards on 17 carries, and he also caught a 29-yard pass. Joe Floyd completed 11 of 19 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, and brother Robbie Floyd had five receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Chandler Burgess chipped in eight tackles.

On Saturday, Cox received his award on national TV, accepting a special plaque and donation of $1,000 from the NFL.

“I loved it. It was absolutely awesome,” Cox said. “It’s an honor I share with all the City Section programs, and the $1,000 will come in handy. We need some stuff. It’s tough around here.”

Cox said the plan is to spend the money on some equipment items for Fairfax’s new $8 million stadium that’s set to be completed soon.

Fairfax is on the road for the third time in a row tonight, as the Lions play at Reseda (2-1). Kickoff is 7 p.m.

“Reseda has some good-looking kids, a good quarterback and some good receivers,” Cox said. “We didn’t see their first loss, to Granada Hills, but they looked good against Monroe and Cleveland. It’s kind of hard to judge, though, when you’re beating teams like that. It’s really difficult because we really don’t know how good Reseda is. I guess we’ll know tonight.”

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Fairfax (1-1) at Reseda (2-1), 7 p.m. -- Defending City Division II champion Fairfax is coming off an overtime win at Canoga Park, as the Lions, led by quarterback Joe Floyd and running back Eric Pugh, play their third consecutive road game in the San Fernando Valley. The Regents are on a tw-game winning streak, having outscored Monroe and Cleveland by a combined 80-3.