SUNSET LEAGUE : Los Alamitos Adds to Unbeaten Streak

Los Alamitos took care of another wanna-be Thursday night. Just another team hell-bent on ending the Griffins’ unbeaten streak.

Oh, they had work a little harder to get it. They needed a few more breaks. They had to reach a little deeper into the playbook. But the result was a 34-14 victory over Marina at Veterans Stadium.

“We can win 7-6 or 70-0, it’s all the same,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said. “Nobody is going to remember what happened out here. They will only remember we did enough to win.”

Ah yes, the Griffins’ first victory as a member of the Sunset League.

The Vikings (5-1, 0-1) came with some welcoming gifts. They fumbled on the first two possessions of the second half. The Griffins turned both mistakes into touchdowns and a 34-14 lead.

They nursed it from there and now have gone 41 games without a defeat, the third longest streak in Southern Section history.

“It’s the Super Bowl for every team we play,” Barnes said.

Usually, the Griffins (6-0, 1-0) have a way to counter that. They come out fast and burst a bubble. They did it this time by scoring on their first two possessions for a 14-0 lead.

But Marina didn’t buckle. The Griffins did all they could shake loose but still had to look over their shoulders.

Quarterback Kevin Feterik threw for 228 yards, 201 in the first half, and three touchdowns.

Wide receiver Stan Guyness caught three passes for 61 yards and rushed for 48. He not only caught a touchdown pass, he threw one. Guyness hit Tony Hartley for a 39-yard scoring pass off a reverse. It gave the Griffins a 20-14 halftime lead, not to mention a little breathing room.

Still, they had 303 yards and a six-point lead.

“We usually can discourage a team right away,” said Brad Melsby, the Griffins’ standout wide receiver and defensive back. “But we were scrambling for a while.”

Melsby helped restore order. He intercepted two passes in the second half, one on a fake field-goal attempt.

Marina moved the ball, even without standout running back Mike Williams. He sat out because of a sprained ankle.

Micah Harrison tried to fill his shoes and gained 76 yards. But he had the two crucial fumbles. Quarterback Matt Roberson, who had thrown 303 yards in five previous games, took over. He had 293 yards passing and one touchdown and kept the pressure on through the second half.

The Vikings were inside the Griffin 10-yard line three times in the second half. But a view of the goal line was all they got. Melsby ended two drives and a third was stopped after a incomplete pass on fourth down.