Big second quarter sends Huntington Beach over Canyon

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Aug. 17, 2018 11:45 PM PT

Reporting from Orange —

Before the first snap of the season, Huntington Beach High football coach Brett Brown reiterated the mindset of his team.

In some ways, it was the same as most teams this time of year. Once last season had ended, the Oilers had months to think about the 2018 opener.

On the other hand, opening against Canyon gave Huntington Beach additional motivation. The Oilers hosted the Comanches to begin the 2017 season, with a late field goal giving Canyon the road win.

The Oilers resembled a prize fighter on Friday night. As soon as they landed their first punch, several followed.

Huntington Beach scored four touchdowns in the second quarter, and the visiting Oilers went on to defeat Canyon 41-15 in a nonleague game at El Modena High.

Brady Gardner, a 6-foot-1 junior making his first varsity start at quarterback, threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

“I was really proud of him,” Brown said of Gardner. “We threw a lot at him tonight. He made the right reads for the most part. He had a really good game. For his first varsity game, you can’t ask for much more than that.”

Gardner’s first attempt of the season resulted in a 24-yard reception for Jeremiah Flanagan. The first touchdown pass of his career was a 40-yard catch and run over the middle for Isaac Bryant.

The Oilers’ signal-caller appreciated the faith that the coaching staff showed in him, allowing him to make all the throws early and often.

“I’m glad that they supported me,” Gardner said. “I knew that I had it deep down. I was a little nervous at first, but once I got those first couple of snaps, I got into a rhythm, and it felt really good to be out there.”

Bryant, a 6-foot slot receiver, had four catches for 128 yards.

“That’s exactly what we expect to do,” Bryant said. “We’ve been working all week really hard.”

In the past, the Oilers had used Arick McLawyer at quarterback, seeing the devastation that his speed could bring upon defenses in the open field. The Comanches became his latest victim.

McLawyer scored on back-to-back offensive plays for the Oilers as the second quarter began. He found the end zone on bursts of 23 and 57 yards.

“Really, it came down to our [offensive] line,” McLawyer said. “We have two sophomores that are starting, and this is their first varsity game. We had to work with them to get their jitters out. Once they got the jitters out, they executed, and we were fine.”

The two sophomores making their varsity debuts on the Oilers’ offensive line were Jacob Sanden and Kaden Kaminski.

Huntington Beach’s defense handled the different looks of Canyon’s offense well. The Comanches utilized Vince Hourigan (95 passing yards) as their primary passer, but Brandon Hij saw a handful of snaps in the shotgun as a running threat.

Brenden Hammitt ended the Oilers’ shutout bid in the third quarter when a bobbled snap in the end zone led to a safety. Hammitt tackled McLawyer in the end zone after a rushed handoff.

James Stevens and Brandon Ferrin had rushing touchdowns of 31 and eight yards, respectively. Flanagan added a 35-yard touchdown catch.

The Oilers recorded five sacks themselves. John Gosney, a co-Linebacker of the Year among the All-Sunset League selections in 2017, had two sacks. Tyler Van Leeuwen, Michael McCormick and Brandon Bova each had one sack.

“Our defense played their butts off all game,” Brown said. “I’m really proud of them and their effort. Our middle linebackers were all over the place.”

Nonleague

Huntington Beach 41, Canyon 15

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Huntington Beach 0 – 28 – 7 – 6 — 41

Canyon 0 – 0 – 8 – 7 — 15

SECOND QUARTER

HB – McLawyer 23 run (kick failed), 11:18.

HB – McLawyer 57 run (Macy kick), 8:50.

HB – Ferrin 8 run (Macy kick), 5:33.

HB – Bryant 40 pass from Gardner (McLawyer run), 2:58.

THIRD QUARTER

C – Hammitt tackled in end zone for a safety, 4:58.