PREP EXTRA / ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Griffins Survive Real Scare : Football: Los Alamitos bounces back from two first-half deficits to beat Riverside Poly, 28-14. Feterik passes for 309 yards.

The Los Alamitos Griffins were looking for a test before opening league play next week. They nearly got more than they bargained for.

Riverside Poly threw a scare into the top-ranked Griffins, getting two first-half leads before falling to the Griffins’ superior firepower, 28-14, in front of an estimated 5,000 at UC Riverside.

The Griffins’ passing skills ultimately wore down the rushing thunder of the Bears (2-3). Kevin Feterik had a tremendous evening, passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns. They went to his favorite receivers--Stan Guyness, who caught eight passes for 153 yards and one touchdown, and Tony Hartley, who grabbed nine for 156 yards and two scores.

Both made the difference in the third quarter. Guyness nabbed a 49-yard touchdown pass, breaking a 14-14 tie, and Hartley followed a series later with an 83-yard touchdown reception.

“Boy, this was a long way to come for a tough game,” Coach John Barnes said after Los Alamitos improved to 5-0. “Their record didn’t fool us. I said earlier I thought they were a very good offensive team, and I’ll say it again. They have some guys who can run the ball.”

Indeed, the Bears’ option attack punished the Griffins’ defense for 275 yards rushing. Riverside Poly was led by halfback Drew Young, who had 100 yards and both Poly touchdowns in 18 carries.

But Poly’s vulnerability to the passing game was evident all evening.

The Bears’ top cornerbacks--Zimbalist Carter, who also plays quarterback, and Jeremy Luginbill--were not 100%. Carter had been ill with the flu, and did not practice much this week; he did not appear until the second quarter. And Luginbill, who is the fastest Bear player, has had a pulled quadriceps muscle.

So Guyness and Hartley were left to sprint all over the field--and eventually break the Bears’ spirit. Much of the damage was done with flanker screens, although the post pattern that Guyness ran on the 49-yard touchdown was inserted into the Griffins playbook just this week.

Poly had its moments too, however.

Young used a five-yard run in the first quarter to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. But Feterik immediately responded with a 16-yard touchdown toss to Hartley.

Young came right back in the second quarter, bursting 14 yards up the middle to give Poly its last lead. Again the Griffins came back, with Tony Austin scoring on a one-yard plunge to cap a 71-yard drive.