Fountain Valley Rallies, but Warren Has the Last Word

Fountain Valley thought it had the game wrapped up Friday at Huntington Beach High.

After staging a dramatic comeback--rallying from 17 points down in the third quarter--the Barons sat on a three-point lead and had Downey Warren facing a fourth down and 18 from the Barons’ 48-yard line with just over 3 minutes remaining.

However, Warren quarterback Kevin Pellegrino still had one trick up his sleeve.

With Fountain Valley tackle Eric Young closing for a sack, Pellegrino let the ball fly down the sideline toward wide receiver Eugene Choi, who burst ahead of two defenders at the 10-yard line and caught the ball as he sprinted into the end zone.

Final score: Warren 32, Fountain Valley 29.

It was the second fourth-down conversion of the game for Pellegrino, and both led to scores.

It was the second consecutive loss for the Barons (2-2), ranked seventh in the county.

Fountain Valley dug itself a hole early in the game when it spotted the Bears a 14-0 lead before the Baron offense had touched the ball.

Warren (2-2) took the opening drive 66 yards for a 7-0 lead with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, Fountain Valley’s Thomas Salue fumbled and Daniel Murrillo recovered for Warren, leading to a touchdown two plays later.

Pellegrino, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 138 yards and four touchdowns, worked his magic again in the second quarter. With a fourth and 11 at the Barons’ 40, Pellegrino faked a punt, picked up the first down and, two plays later, the Bears had a 20-3 lead.

Warren extended it to 26-9 in the third quarter before the Barons finally came alive, scoring three consecutive touchdowns.

Fountain Valley quarterback Casey Clark hit Charles TeGantvoort for an eight-yard touchdown play with 3:19 left in the third. On their next drive, he found Pat Banford for a 67-yard touchdown pass play with 11:51 remaining in the game. The Barons took the lead for the first time with 6:21 remaining, when Clark orchestrated an eight-play, 68-yard drive, and capped it with his own eight-yard scoring run.