SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : DIVISION I : Barons’ Lead Is Just Enough to Take Title : Fountain Valley Holds On to Beat Bishop Amat, 31-24

A runaway nearly turned into a game that got away Friday night, but Fountain Valley High School held on for a 31-24 victory over Bishop Amat in the Southern Section Division I championship in front of 15,121 in Anaheim Stadium.

Fountain Valley (12-2) built a 24-3 lead in the first half and then survived a fine passing display by Bishop Amat quarterback Brian Harmon to win a title that eluded the Barons last season.

Harmon threw 3 touchdown passes to wide receiver Jeremy Smith in the second half and had Bishop Amat (11-3) within range of tying the score as time ran out. Harmon completed 29 of 49 passes for 347 yards, but it wasn’t enough to offset Fountain Valley’s big first half.

“We always thought we could turn it around and that first play of the second half was a big boost,” Bishop Amat Coach Mark Paredes said. “But we didn’t stop them once all night.”

Bishop Amat opened the second half with Harmon throwing an 80-yard touchdown pass to Smith.

Smith caught 14 passes for 213 yards, again a big night, but not enough to win. Afterward, Paredes cited his team’s failure to put the pressure on Fountain Valley quarterback David Henigan for ultimately losing the game.

“We tried to put pressure on him, and he picked us apart,” Paredes said. “They kept our defense off balance all night.”

Henigan completed 15 of 19 passes for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and found Bishop Amat’s single coverage in its secondary to his liking.

“We felt that if they played man-to-man coverage against our receivers, it was to our advantage,” Henigan said. “It was almost like a summer passing league game.”

Henigan had been on the losing end in the title game on the same field last year against Fontana.

“Last year, we were the ones crying and hanging our heads down,” he said. “This year, we’re whopping it up.”

The victory ended 3 memorable seasons for Fountain Valley with Henigan at the helm, and Coach Mike Milner credited the left-handed quarterback for winning the game.

“David had a great game as usual,” Milner said. “We recognized the coverages and tore them apart. It was a great way to end a great high school career.”

Fountain Valley made it look easy, scoring on its opening 4 possessions en route to a 24-3 halftime lead. Henigan picked apart Bishop Amat’s secondary for 118 yards in the half, missing on only a single pass.

Fountain Valley gave an early indication of things to come when Henigan connected with wide receiver Mike Cook on a 31-yard touchdown play with the game barely 3 minutes old.

Fountain Valley found it a little tougher reaching the end zone on its next possession. The Barons needed 4 plays from Bishop Amat’s 1-yard line before Henigan dove over a pile of linemen.

Two minutes later, Bishop Amat managed only a 22-yard punt, giving Fountain Valley possession at its own 48-yard line.

It took Henigan only 4 plays to reach the end zone with the key play of the 52-yard drive a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Doug Weaver. Tailback Kedric Powe scored on a 2-yard run and Derek Mahoney’s third conversion kick boosted the lead to 21-0.

Fountain Valley capped a big offensive half when Mahoney kicked a 40-yard field goal to extend its lead to 24-0. Mahoney’s kick was set up by teammate Rick Mock’s interception that he returned 26 yards to Bishop Amat’s 32-yard line.

Harmon finally got Bishop Amat untracked in the waning minutes of the half. Harmon completed 5 passes in the Lancers’ most impressive drive, but Bishop Amat had to settle for a 35-yard field by Eric White with 2:06 remaining in the half.