Ocean View’s comeback falls short in 27-20 loss at Westminster

For an Ocean View High football team battered with injuries and seeking its first Golden West League victory as it entered Friday night’s rivalry game with Westminster, fighting through adversity was bound to be critical.

Yet following the Seahawks’ most resilient effort of the season, they still find themselves searching for their first league win.

Westminster senior quarterback Noah Melbon found junior receiver Malachi Mesa for a game-winning, 12-yard touchdown in the right corner of the end zone with eight seconds left on the clock. The play lifted the host Lions to a 27-20 victory, and most painful for Ocean View, it negated what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown drive of its own.

Just 38 seconds earlier, Ocean View quarterback Noah Hickman had plunged into the end zone on an eight-yard scramble that, for the moment, capped a 13-point, fourth-quarter comeback.

“Our team battled hard until the very end,” said Hickman, whose team scored all of its points in the final quarter. “We lost really big last week, and our boys came out and battled. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The junior signal-caller was front and center for Ocean View’s comeback attempt, as was senior wide receiver Nathaniel Washington. With Ocean View trailing 13-0 in the fourth quarter, the pair connected for touchdowns of 61 and 56 yards, respectively. They provided a much-needed spark after a pedestrian first three quarters offensively.

Hickman finished the night having completed 13 of 23 passes for 251 yards, with 194 yards and both of his passing touchdowns coming in the second half. Even more impressive, Hickman did so on a bad sprained ankle.

“Noah Hickman is unbelievable,” Ocean View coach Luis Nuñez said. “He’s out there playing on one foot, basically has a cast on his ankle. He’s been going [and getting] treatment every day, trying to get better.

“I’ll tell you this, if we have 55 Hickmans, we’re going to be really good. I can’t say enough about that kid.”

Washington finished with eight catches for 126 yards.

Ultimately, though, these efforts were not enough to secure a victory against a Westminster team that controlled the tone for the majority of the contest.

Melbon and Mesa led a Lions passing attack that picked up steam following a quiet first quarter. For Mesa, who hauled in 11 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns, it was easily the top performance of his Westminster career.

“He had some huge plays, and obviously none bigger than that one right there at the end,” Westminster coach Ted McMillan said.

Junior workhorse back Christian Jaime also made his impact felt for the Lions. He rushed 30 times for 207 yards, surpassing the 200-yard mark for the second consecutive week.

For an Ocean View squad that remains winless in league play, Nuñez finds a silver lining in the way his team responded to a 51-6 blowout loss to Santa Ana last week.

“We bounced back,” said Nuñez, whose team plays host to Loara next week. “We got throttled last week, and I’m proud of the effort. We’re hurting, we’ve got injuries all over the place, and our guys just fight.”

*

Westminster 27, Ocean View 20

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Ocean View 0 – 0 – 0 – 20 — 20

Westminster 7 – 6 – 0 – 14 — 27

FIRST QUARTER

W – McGookin 5 run (Aburto kick), 6:56.

SECOND QUARTER

W — Mesa 18 pass from Melbon (kick failed), :23.

FOURTH QUARTER

OV – Washington 61 pass from Hickman (Meyer kick), 7:46.

W — Jaime 33 run (run failed) 3:40.

OV — Washington 56 pass from Hickman (Meyer kick), 3:14.

OV — Hickman 8 run (pass failed), :46.

W — Mesa 12 pass from Melbon (Jaime run), :8

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

OV — De Loera, 16-51.

W — Jaime, 30-207, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

OV — Hickman, 13-23-0, 251, 2 TDs.

W — Melbon, 18-26-0, 273, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

OV – Washington, 8-126, 2 TDs.

W – Mesa, 11-151, 2 TDs.

JOSH CRISWELL is a contributor to Times Community News. Follow him on Twitter: @joshccriswell