Barons Avoid Oiler Upset With a Late Field Goal

After nail-biting games in the last two weeks, Fountain Valley expected a reprieve against Huntington Beach. But the Barons didn’t get it.

Fountain Valley needed a 19-yard field goal by Aaron Carter with 26 seconds left to pull out a 24-22 Sunset League victory Friday at Huntington Beach High.

Huntington Beach seemed to have an upset in hand when wide receiver Vince Strang caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeff Lineberger with 1 minute 41 seconds left in the game. The Oilers (2-6-1, 0-3-1) never hesitated in going for the victory and scored a two-point conversion on a pass from Lineberger to Eric Cabrera.

Fountain Valley’s Kelvin Millhouse, who had scored the Barons’ first touchdown on an 86-yard kickoff return, took the ensuing kickoff 52 yards to give Fountain Valley (7-2, 3-1) the ball on the Oilers’ 33-yard line with 1:33 left. The Barons drove to the one-yard line and on fourth and goal, Carter kicked his winning field goal.

Fountain Valley led 14-7 at the half, on Millhouse’s touchdown return and linebacker Woodrow Otis’ 70-yard interception return.

Huntington Beach tied the score in the third quarter on a three-yard run by Damon Van Hoorebeke with three minutes left in the quarter.

The Barons regained the lead on an 80-yard touchdown play from backup quarterback Ryan Breska to Jason Perez early in the fourth quarter.