Huntington Beach Drops Long Beach Wilson for Loss

It was difficult to pinpoint which aspect of Huntington Beach’s 36-0 victory over Long Beach Wilson was most impressive Friday at Huntington Beach High School.

It could have been the running of Eric Escobedo, Justin Flagg and Levi Schuck, who combined to rush for 221 yards and four touchdowns.

The Huntington Beach defense--lead by Nick Ziegler, Tony Gonzalez and Justin Draeger--was also impressive. The Oilers seemingly spent as much time in Wilson’s backfield as the Bruins’ running backs. Long Beach Wilson (0-3) was held to 36 yards in total offense, including minus-one yard in the second half.

The defense also scored the first points of the game on a safety in the first quarter. Gonzalez, a senior linebacker, tackled running back Bennie Harris in the end zone with 6 minutes 1 second left in the first quarter.

The Huntington Beach defense stopped Wilson 17 times behind the line of scrimmage, accumulating losses of 80 yards.

“Those three (Ziegler, Gonzalez and Draeger) played very well tonight and have played well the first three games,” said Huntington Beach Coach George Pascoe. “Offensively, we ran the ball well, but for us to be successful in the Sunset League we’re going to have to pass the ball better.”

The Huntington Beach offensive trio was led by Escobedo, who had 100 yards in 14 carries. He also had a pair of touchdowns. His 19-yard scoring run late in the third quarter gave the Oilers (3-0) a 22-0 lead.

Flagg rushed nine times for 63 yards and a touchdown, and Schuck had four carries for 58 yards and a touchdown for Huntington Beach, which is ranked fourth in the weekly Orange County Sportswriters’ poll.