Paramount Stops Shuck and Beats Huntington Beach, 34-13

Take Shaun Shuck out of the equation, and chances are it will add up to a loss for Huntington Beach.

Shuck, the Oilers’ workhorse senior tailback, was negated by Paramount for most of the first half Friday night, and the Pirates took advantage to hand Huntington Beach its first loss of the season, 34-13, before about 1,300 at Huntington Beach High School.

The Oilers’ 3-0 start was built mainly on the tireless legs of Shuck, who rushed 70 times for 343 yards in the first three games.

On Friday, he managed only 91 yards in 24 carries. More importantly, after gaining 33 yards the first time the Oilers had the ball, he had only 58 the rest of the game.

Shuck’s ineffectiveness, and a 14-3 first-quarter deficit, forced Huntington Beach to pass, with calamitous results. On successive second-quarter possessions, Casey Ryder threw two interceptions and fumbled on a sack, enabling Paramount to score 20 points in a span of 2 minutes 14 seconds and turn a 14-6 game into a 34-6 blowout by halftime.

“That’s not our game,” Huntington Beach Coach Tony Ciarelli said, noting Ryder’s 24 pass attempts. “We want to control the ball on the ground. But our offensive line didn’t have its best game tonight.”

Ryder completed only seven of those 24 passes. His first interception set up a touchdown drive for Paramount (3-1); the second was returned by Sam Hogan 42 yards for a touchdown. And his fumble at the Oiler 20 set up Tony Knox’ 19-yard scoring pass to Victor Alexandrea that made it 34-6.

“Them throwing 24 times is good for us,” said Paramount Coach Ken Sutch, whose team is ranked sixth in Southern Section Division II. “That’s 24 times No. 33 [Shuck] isn’t getting the ball.”

The Oilers scored on 25- and 37-yard field goals by Shaun Donahoe and Ryder’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Russel Oschman.