Henigan Rallies Fountain Valley Past El Toro in Final :02

Mike Milner, Fountain Valley High School coach, knew he had a quarterback who could come up with the big play under difficult circumstances.

That’s exactly what quarterback David Henigan did Saturday night, directing Fountain Valley on a dramatic 70-yard drive in the final minute of play that gave the Barons a 35-31 victory over El Toro in front of 5,000 fans at Mission Viejo High.

Henigan, a senior left-hander, threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Sassenberg with two seconds remaining for the winning score. Henigan took the center snap with eight seconds remaining, knowing the Barons had utilized all of their timeouts.

It was score or go home a loser and the quarterback of the county’s top-ranked team responded with the clutch pass against an El Toro secondary that had earlier intercepted three of his passes.

“We were going with one quick pass play into the end zone, and if it went incomplete, then we were going to try and send the kick team on the field,” Milner said. “There’s always a possibility with David.

“If I had my choice of one player to be in control under the toughest of circumstances, it would be David Henigan. He’s been in the big games before and knows what it takes to win.”

Well, almost. Fountain Valley found itself fighting an uphill battle most of the night as El Toro’s defense came up with key turnovers and its young offense made some big plays.

El Toro appeared to have the game won with 1:09 remaining after junior quarterback Steve Stenstrom scored on a four-yard keeper for a 31-28 lead. Stenstrom outplayed Henigan through three and a half quarters, completing 8 of 18 pass attempts for 174 yards and a touchdown.

“I didn’t think we could score 31 points, but then it’s hard to win a football game when you give up 35 points,” said Bob Johnson, El Toro coach. “It’s been a long time since El Toro has given up 35 points.”

It’s also been a while since El Toro has lost a game. The Chargers had won nine consecutive games over the past two seasons until confronting Henigan & Co. on Saturday night.

Henigan finished with 290 yards passing, completing 20 of 31 attempts. He also threw two touchdown passes, teaming with Sassenberg on both scores. Fountain Valley (2-0) returns to the same field on Thursday night to meet third-ranked Mission Viejo.

Tailback Kedric Powe of Fountain Valley and versatile Jason Vivonia of El Toro also had big nights. Powe gained 160 yards in 22 carries and scored twice while Vivonia caught 2 touchdown passes and recovered a fumble.

El Toro (1-1) surprised the county’s top-ranked team early, scoring two touchdowns before Fountain Valley could get untracked. Defensive back Scott Toppo set up El Toro’s first touchdown when he intercepted Henigan’s pass at the Fountain Valley 45-yard line and made a 10-yard return.

El Toro took a 7-0 lead on a nifty 24-yard run by tailback Jerome Oakman. Oakman, a 155-pound junior, broke three tackles on the play with Fountain Valley giving a poor display of tackling.

El Toro extended its lead to 14-0 and once again an interception set up the score. This time, Troy Acker took a pass away from intended receiver Mike Cook at the El Toro 12-yard line and returned the interception 12 yards.

Three plays later, Stenstrom connected with Vivonia on a 65-yard touchdown pass with 11:13 remaining in the half for a stunning 14-0 lead.

Fountain Valley finally sustained a drive on its next possession. The Barons went 69 yards in seven plays with Henigan completing 2 passes for 37 yards. Powe scored on a 27-yard and had 98 yards rushing in the first half.

Vivonia showed he’s also adept on special teams when he recovered punt returner Jeff Higbee’s fumble at the Baron 38-yard line that paved the way for Ken Romaniszyn’s 27-yard field goal.

Fountain Valley ended a big offensive half by narrowing El Toro’s lead to 17-14 with 1:02 left to play. Powe had the big play of the drive, eluding a big loss behind the line of scrimmage and turning the play into a 36-yard gain. Powe scored his second touchdown on a one-yard run.