HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : Southern Section Division I : Fountain Valley Holds On, 31-24

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

Fountain Valley (12-2) built a 24-3 lead in the first half and survived a Bishop Amat comeback led by quarterback Brian Harmon to gain a title victory 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 winning the game in the final minute. Harmon completed 29 of 49 passes for 347 yards and Smith had 14 receptions for 213 yards in a losing effort.

Harmon began the Lancer rally with an 80-yard touchdown pass to Smith on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

On the ensuing drive, Fountain Valley quarterback David Henigan threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mike Cook to give the Barons a 31-10 lead.

With 2:33 to play in the third quarter, Harmon threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Smith to cut the lead to 31-17. Harmon then hit Smith with a 28-yard touchdown pass with 5:39 left to get the Lancers within 31-24.

Bishop Amat had a shot at a victory on its last possession. The Lancers got the ball on their 12-yard line with 2:12 left. They drove to their 43, but on fourth and 3, Harmon threw incomplete with 51 seconds left. Fountain Valley took over and ran out the clock.

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, and he reflected upon the difference.

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

“David had a great game as usual,” Fountain Valley Coach Mike Milner said of Henigan. “He 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 first 4 possessions.

The Barons gave an early indication of things to come when Henigan connected with 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 48-yard line.

It took Henigan only 4 plays to reach the end zone. The key play in the 52-yard drive was a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Doug Weaver. Tailback Kedric Powe scored his first touchdown on a 2-yard run.

Derek Mahoney kicked a 40-yard field goal as the Barons extended their 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 on track in the final minutes of the first 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.