Fountain Valley Gets 30 Points in Fourth Quarter to Beat Marina

Marina started the fourth quarter of its Sunset League football opener with Fountain Valley with a two-point lead and plenty of enthusiasm.

Less than two minutes later, the lead was long gone and the excitement along the sideline was quick to follow as Fountain Valley rallied for 30 points in the final quarter and won, 42-14, Thursday at Huntington Beach High.

Marina, which had played so well at times in the first three quarters, just got crushed by Fountain Valley’s suddenly impressive rushing attack.

Fountain Valley’s ground game had provided meager results until the fourth quarter, when the Barons (4-2, 1-0) wore down the Vikings (1-5, 0-1).

Fountain Valley rushed for 218 of its 298 yards on the ground in the final quarter. Andrew Medley, a senior, and John Sanders, a junior, led the way. Each scored two touchdowns in the final quarter and Fountain Valley went for two twice and converted both times to account for the 30 points.

Medley went 43 yards up the middle, shedding three would-be tacklers in the final 15 yards to put Fountain Valley ahead, 20-14, with 11 minutes 51 seconds left in the game.

After a Marina fumble, Sanders scored on a 20-yard burst up the middle to put Fountain Valley up, 28-14, with 10:03 to go.

Sanders scored again on a 17-yard run and Fountain Valley was ahead, 35-14, with 7:05 left. Medley capped the scoring on a five-yard run with 2:59 to play. The final touchdown was set up by a 52-yard run by Otis Woodrow who was stopped at the Marina five.

Medley finished with 140 yards, 89 in the fourth quarter. He also had Fountain Valley’s first touchdown, a two-yard run early in the second quarter.

Sanders finished with 76 yards and Woodrow added 69.

Marina led twice, the first time coming when wide receiver Arthur Odden, who is 6 feet 5, reached up for a pass from sophomore quarterback Scott Austin then raced to the end zone to complete a 60-yard play. Luke Dunbar kicked the extra point and Marina was on top, 7-6, midway in the second quarter.

Odden (three catches for 99 yards) had a 24-yard catch that gave Marina a first down at the Fountain Valley 14 early in the third quarter.

Austin did the rest, running twice for gains of 12 and two yards. The two-yard dive in the middle of the line for the touchdown put Marina ahead, 14-12, with 9:42 left in the third quarter.

Marina’s Doug Fifita, who was limited to 11 yards in six carries, did have two interceptions on defense.