Nick Welch rallies Fountain Valley to a 35-21 win over Marina

Nick Welch wasn’t around for Fountain Valley High’s winless football season in the Sunset League last year. The campaign marked the first time the Barons did not win a game in the Sunset league.

Welch even handed Fountain Valley a setback in league a year ago, when he was the quarterback at Huntington Beach. He transferred to Fountain Valley, and in his first chance to lead the Barons to a league win, Welch did whatever it took Friday.

The senior got the Barons off to a fast start, then he struggled, before he rallied his team in the fourth quarter. Welch led host Fountain Valley to a 35-21 win against Marina at Huntington Beach High.

Welch played quarterback throughout the game, running for two touchdowns and throwing for one, and he came in and played linebacker for the first time this year in the second half, preventing a touchdown by picking one off in the end zone. The interception with 28 seconds to go sealed Fountain Valley’s first win in league in two years and allowed it to improve to 5-1 overall, the program’s best start in four years.

Welch was happy to get the Barons, ranked No. 10 in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 poll, off to a great start in league. He completed 14 of 28 passes for 272 yards, with two interceptions, and rushed 12 times for 61 yards, with one fumble.

“They lost to these guys last year,” Welch said of the Barons’ 35-7 loss to the Vikings, helping Marina end a 60-game losing streak in league in the regular-season finale. “I’ve never lost to Marina and I didn’t want to start tonight.”

Welch and the Barons overcame three turnovers and penalties nullifying big play after big play by finally putting things together in the fourth quarter. They outscored Marina 22-0 in the final quarter.

Some trickery by Welch and his teammates sparked Fountain Valley.

A flea flicker on fourth-and-18 set up the Barons’ first fourth-quarter score. Welch handed the ball to Benn Vallier, who lateraled the ball to Welch. He had time to hit Kishaun Sykes for a 24-yard pass to keep the drive alive just inside the Vikings’ 10-yard line.

Twenty-one seconds into the fourth, Welch ran on the next play, his nine-yard touchdown cut the deficit to two. Fountain Valley went for two points, and Welch ran it in himself to even things up at 21-21.

The Vikings (3-3, 0-1 in league), No. 6 in Division 12, struggled the rest of the way. Coach Jeff Turley said he lost starting quarterback Ian Green to cramps, and without him, the offense couldn’t get going.

The Barons scored on their next two possessions. Welch capped a seven-play, 89-yard drive with a 55-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Krause, who had seven receptions for 142 yards. The score came on a third-and-19 situation, and Krause was wide open near the Barons’ sideline.

Marina turned the ball over on downs inside its 20-yard line with about 2½ minutes remaining. And Vallier, who rushed 13 times for 91 yards, went on to record his second rushing touchdown, scoring from six yards out to make it 35-21 Fountain Valley.

“This was the game of the year for us, because one loss and you don’t make the playoffs,” Fountain Valley coach Jimmy Nolan said.

Even though four games remain in league, Nolan knew the Barons had to beat Marina for any shot to make the postseason for the first time under his watch.

Things looked great for Nolan, in his second year in charge of the Barons. His team jumped out to a 13-0 lead with less than five minutes left in the opening quarter, on touchdown runs by Vallier and Welch.

Then Marina scored 21 straight points in the second quarter, on a touchdown run by Blaine Riederich and two on Green touchdown passes to Cade Palma, who had seven catches for 148 yards. The longest touchdown to Palma was a 95-yarder that extended the Vikings’ lead to 21-13 late in the first half.

With Marina ahead, Welch told Nolan at halftime that he wanted to go in and play linebacker to stop the Vikings. Welch did in the third quarter, and he and the rest of the defense blanked Marina in the second half.

“Nick didn’t want to lose,” Nolan said. “I like the fact that he bounced back. He did not hang his head. He was one of the only guys that stood up and spoke during at halftime. He said, ‘We got this, guys. It’s not Marina beating us, it’s ourselves. I’m tired of beating ourselves.’”

With Welch, the Barons, who went 1-9 overall last year, are beating other teams now.

Fountain Valley 35, Marina 21

Marina…………………….0 21 0 0 — 21

Fountain Valley……….13 0 0 22 — 35

FIRST QUARTER

FV – Vallier 5 run (kick failed), 9:13.

FV – Welch 1 run (Swain kick), 4:47.

SECOND QUARTER

M – Riederich 4 run (Riederich run), 6:50.

M – Palma 4 pass from Green (kick failed), 3:56.

M – Palma 95 pass from Green (Stitt kick), :31.

FOURTH QUARTER

FV – Welch 9 run (Welch run), 11:39.

FV – Krause 55 pass from Welch (Swain kick), 4:18.

FV – Vallier 6 run (Swain kick), 2:08.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

M – Savea, 8-46.

FV – Vallier, 13-91, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

M – Green, 8-12-1, 159, 2 TDs.

FV – Welch, 14-28-2, 272, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

M – Palma, 7-148, 2 TDs.

FV – Krause, 7-142, 1 TD.

david.carrillo@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByDCP