PREP FOOTBALL : Ocean View Finds a Cure in the Second Half : Two Touchdowns Within a 52-Second Span Help to Defeat Kennedy, 23-14

Karl Gaytan, Ocean View High School football coach, has been so ill with gallbladder problems this week he had to spend a few days in the hospital.

But what Gaytan saw transpire Thursday night on Sheue Field had to make him feel a little better.

The Seahawks, limited to 35 total yards in the first half, played a strong second half and scored two touchdowns within a 52-second span in the fourth quarter to defeat Kennedy, 23-14, in the season opener for both.

A crowd of 1,200 watched Ocean View take advantage of two fumbles and beat the Irish in a matchup of teams that were 2-8 last year.

Trailing 14-7, Ocean View cut Kennedy’s lead to 14-10 at the 6:40 mark of the final quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Mat Bertram.

On the third play of Kennedy’s ensuing possession, Charlie Lindquist, who only began practicing at tight end a week ago, caught a Todd Bristow pass but fumbled after a 25-yard gain. The ball, like a wet bar of soap, evaded Lindquist’s grasp and was recovered just before going out of bounds by Ocean View’s by Paul Spartos, who fought off Kennedy’s John Christensen to get to it.

Ocean View then drove 66 yards on six plays to take the lead for the first time.

Mike Spence, the third and most successful quarterback employed by Gaytan, completed a 35-yard pass to Dawayne Bandurak to move the ball into Kennedy territory. Later, on fourth down and 13 to go at the Kennedy 33-yard line, Spence hit Kurt Szuba for a 13-yard gain. A pass interference play moved the ball to the 10, from where Marc Ohm scored. Bertram’s extra point made it 17-14 in favor of Ocean View.

One play after the kickoff, Kennedy turned over the ball again when Christensen fumbled at the Irish 18. On the next play, Jeff Darling scored his second touchdown and Ocean View led, 23-14.

Ocean View wound up with 258 yards, four more than Kennedy, and Spence had much to do with it. Neither David Stocks, who played the first quarter, or Chris Ibargary, who played the second, was effective at quarterback. But Spence, a 6-foot 3-inch junior, completed all three passes he attempted for 57 yards and helped the Seahawks look like a different team in the second half.

Gaytan said he planned to use all three players Thursday.

“We wanted to give each one one quarter to play, and then let whoever played best play the fourth quarter,” Gaytan said. “Spence was a leader, and that’s what we were looking for.”

John Carroll, Kennedy coach, thought it was more a case of the Irish losing the game than Ocean View winning it.

“They took advantage of their opportunities, and we gave away ours,” he said. “But I believe we gave this game away.

“We looked tired late in the game, and that’s because they’re bigger than we are. But we better get used to that, because every team we play this year will be bigger than we are.”

Kennedy didn’t look tired in the first half or early in the second when it clearly outplayed Ocean View. After a scoreless first quarter, the Irish took a 7-0 lead at the seven-minute mark of the second when they put together a 46-yard, five-play drive that culminated on a 17-yard run by Bristow.

Darling’s 49-yard run early in the third quarter tied the score, but the Irish, led by the passing of Bristow and receiving of Lindquist, drove 73 yards on 13 plays to take a 14-7 lead. Junior Bristow, who completed 11 of 20 attempts for 144 yards, teamed with Lindquist on a 13-yard pass play to give Kennedy the lead back at 14-7.

Gaytan was pleased with the win, but because of the next three opponents on the Seahawks’ schedule, wasn’t exactly exuberant.

“The honeymoon is over,” said Gaytan, who will probably have his gallbladder removed. “We play Fontana next, then Gardena and then St. Paul. If I’m not sick now, I probably will be after we’re done with those games.”