Griffins Topple Marina for Title

Of the 21 seasons John Barnes has coached football at Los Alamitos--seasons that include nine league championships and three Southern Section titles--none, he said, have been more gratifying than 1999.

At least those were his thoughts after the Griffins defeated Marina, 28-12, Friday night at Westminster High, clinching the Sunset League title.

Coupled with Esperanza’s 21-20 victory over Fountain Valley, the Griffins (9-1, 4-1 in league) win the league title outright and enter the Southern Section Division I playoffs as the league’s No. 1 entry.

Marina (5-4-1, 3-2) drops to a three-way tie for second place with Esperanza and Fountain Valley and advances as the No. 3 team based on a victory over Fountain Valley and a loss to Esperanza, which advances as the No. 2 team.

“Before this game I thought that if we came down here and won, which I prayed we would, this would be the best season I had spent coaching,” Barnes said.

“I love the players, love the coaches. It’s especially nice because we don’t have any returning stars and we won a lot of close games.”

Barnes displayed his heart-felt emotion during postgame handshakes, taking the time to shake hands or hug many of his players and congratulate them on a job well done.

Barnes’ Los Alamitos teams are known for a high-octane offense that racks up easy victories. But with only one returning starter entering this season, it was the staunch, hard-hitting Griffin defense that carried the team most of this year.

“This win definitely makes our season,” said linebacker Paul Publico, part of a defense that forced five Marina turnovers and held Viking running back Ray Mietkiewicz to 112 yards.

“Everyone doubted us at the beginning of the season because we only had one returning starter, but what they didn’t know is that we have a lot of guys with heart.”

The Griffins showed that heart early against Marina, meeting the bruising option-based Viking running attack head-on.

Los Alamitos forced fumbles on Marina’s first three possessions and turned them into a 14-0 lead. It was a 21-0 lead by halftime and could have been more if not for a couple missed field goals.

Marina, which had only 75 yards and four first downs in the first half, turned the ball over four times on first-down plays.

The Vikings pulled to within 21-6 with 1:48 left in the third quarter. Three plays later, defensive back Ken Weber intercepted a Los Alamitos pass and returned it to the Viking 38.

But on Marina’s first play after the interception, Mietkiewicz fumbled, setting up a Griffin touchdown and a 28-6 lead with 10:20 to play.

The Vikings fumbled five times in a 24-14 loss to Esperanza last week.

“The fumbles tonight really prevented us from opportunities to match [Los Alamitos],” Marina Coach Mark Rehling said.

The Griffins had eight of their 11 drives start in Marina territory and another at the 50. Griffin running back Damon Johnson, who had 154 yards in 32 carries, finished four of those drives with touchdown runs of three, four, one and eight yards.