Frustrated Fountain Valley Recovers at Westminster

Fountain Valley High School, a team that has lost often this season, played as if it had nothing to lose in its Sunset League game against Westminster Thursday.

The Barons, winless in their past three games, went for it on fourth down with great regularity, tried a two-point conversion, and generally played it fast and loose. It seemed to make up for an uninspired first half because Fountain Valley rallied for a 31-14 victory before 850 at Westminster.

Fountain Valley should have entered the game with a sense of urgency. With a 2-5 record, the Barons were feeling, in Coach Mike Milner’s words, “snake-bit, frustrated, suicidal.”

Fountain Valley floundered until its final series of the first half. Westminster (1-7 overall, 1-2 in league play) built a 14-0 lead on a four-yard run by running back Vance Senteno and a 70-yard touchdown pass play from quarterback John Shipp to Senteno.

“We came out lackluster in the first 24 minutes,” Milner said.

Quarterback Willy Puga, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 207 yards, finally snapped Fountain Valley out of its slumber, driving the Barons for a touchdown in the final minutes of the half. He teamed with receiver Doug Weaver for the first of three touchdown passes, this one a 13-yarder. Weaver caught eight passes for 163 yards.

Brian Williams, who ran for 145 yards in 14 carries, added a two-point conversion run and Fountain Valley trailed, 14-8, at halftime.

Puga and Weaver gave Fountain Valley (3-5, 1-2) the lead for good with a 21-yard scoring pass that started the second-half scoring. Frank Wada added a two-yard run, Wei-Ming Lu kicked a 30-yard field goal and Puga threw to Weaver for an 11-yard touchdown to finish out the scoring.