Edison, HB, FV want to stay on roll
The plot thickens as the prep football season gears up for its stretch run.
The Sunset League race finds three teams — locals Edison, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley, looking to stay undefeated in league play this week. Over in the Golden West League, Ocean View looks to rebound from a tough loss and stay in title contention in a key home game against an undefeated opponent. In one, final nonleague game, Brethren Christian will be after its seventh victory, as the Warriors continue to climb up the ladder in the CIF Southern Section East Valley Division rankings.
Edison, Fountain Valley and Marina kick off this week’s action with Thursday games. Huntington, Ocean View and Brethren Christian take to the gridiron Friday.
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Thursday
Edison (3-3) vs. Marina (1-5)
(7 p.m., Huntington Beach High)
City rivals Edison and Marina meet in the second week of the Sunset League season.
Edison collected a key victory last week by holding off Los Alamitos, 17-14, in a league opener. The Chargers had to overcome a 7-0 deficit and the loss of starting quarterback Grant Lowary (shoulder injury) early in the game.
“I’ve lost so many close games to Los Al, and it went to the wire again,” a relieved Edison Coach Dave White said after the game. “[Los Alamitos Coach] John [Barnes] and I have had a lot of battles through the years.
“I’m proud of this win, proud of the team and really proud of our defense. We overcame three turnovers, lost our starting quarterback (Lowary), and our sophomore (O’Connor) comes in and does a nice job, has a baptism by fire.”
O’Connor took over on Edison’s second possession of the game, the Chargers already down, 7-0, midway through the opening quarter. He replaced Lowary who went out of the game after taking a hit in the backfield near midfield. The sophomore promptly hit his first two passes.
“You can’t be nervous in a situation like this,” O’Connor said. “I feel bad for my quarterback (Lowary), but my team needed a quarterback, needed someone to step in. It felt good to hit those first two passes and start off with some momentum.”
White said that Lowary, whose injury was to his right shoulder/throwing arm, had an MRI Monday and that the senior will be “out for a while.”
“We now have three senior starters, two who are captains (Jacob Price, Shane Fullbright), out,” he said. “We tell the kids that this is their opportunity to step in and step up to fill those spots.
“For a sophomore, I thought Griffin (O’Connor) did a great job. He had a couple of big-time throws and that big touchdown run. To throw for more than 200 yards, rush for 60-something, and have a hand in two scores, is pretty special.”
After senior Bobby Jinkins cleared the crossbar with plenty of room to spare in connecting on a 46-yard field goal late in the first quarter, O’Connor scored on a 39 yard sprint in the final minute of the quarter to put the Chargers in front (10-7) for good. O’Connor and junior receiver/defensive back Shaun Colamonico (four receptions, 80 yards, one interception on defense) later teamed on an 11-yard scoring pass that extended the lead to 17-7 midway through the third quarter.
O’Connor, who was the season starter at quarterback for the Edison junior varsity team, passed for 190 yards and rushed for 60 more in his varsity debut.
The Chargers moved back into the CIF-SS West Valley Division poll, taking the No. 9 slot this week.
Marina has dropped four-straight. The Vikings last week were handed a 32-0 league-opening defeat by Huntington Beach.
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Fountain Valley (4-2) vs. Los Alamitos (2-4)
(7 p.m., Veterans Stadium)
Teams heading in opposite directions tangle at Long Beach City College.
After an 0-2 start, Fountain Valley brings a four-game winning streak into its meeting with Los Alamitos. Win No. 4 came in last week’s Sunset League opener, when the Barons dominated Newport Harbor in taking a 51-20 victory from the Sailors.
Senior quarterback Chad Olberding rushed for 253 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries including scoring runs of 75 and 50 yards, and threw a touchdown pass to running back Moe Falealii. Running back George Sykes and quarterback Kent Swift also scored rushing touchdowns for the Barons who had 396 yards on the ground.
Fountain Valley scored three TDs in the opening quarter.
The Barons beat the Sailors, who were celebrating homecoming, for the first time since 2008.
“We continue to get better,” Fountain Valley Coach Ray Fenton said. “The week of the game we were really focused in practice, and then we went out and played our best game of the season. Chad (Olberding) did a really good job with his run reads. (Running backs) George Sykes and Moe Falealii also did a great job, and we blocked well up front. On defense, (lineman) Keiti Iakopo (four sacks) and (right guard) Sam Asuaga harassed the quarterback all game long.”
Los Alamitos, meanwhile, started the season 2-0 but is stuck in a four-game losing streak which has sent the Griffins tumbling out of the CIF-SS West Valley Division rankings. The Griffins, last year’s Sunset champion, dropped their league opener last week, 17-14, to Edison.
“Hopefully, we can ruin another team’s homecoming game,” Fenton said. “Their program is a little wounded and this is probably one of the biggest games of the year for them, from their perspective.”
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Friday
Newport Harbor (2-4) vs. Huntington Beach (3-3)
(7 p.m., Huntington Beach High)
Huntington goes after its third consecutive win when the Oilers host a Newport Harbor team in a tailspin.
The Oilers opened their Sunset League campaign last week with a 32-0 homecoming game shutout of rival Marina to retain the Victory Trophy that goes to the winner of the game. Senior running back Hunter Simmons starred again, this time, by rushing for 256 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. Simmons scored on runs of 20, one, six and 36 yards.
In five-plus games (Huntington’s Sept. 24 game against Animo South Los Angeles was called in the first quarter), Simmons has rushed for 968 yards and 11 touchdowns, and is averaging nine yards per carry.
Twice he has rushed for 250 or more yards in a game (he ran for a season-high 272 yards in a double-overtime loss Sept. 18 at Moorpark).
Huntington’s defense hasn’t given up a point in five consecutive quarters.
Friday is Senior Night for the Oilers who have won two-straight.
“We are playing better, so I’m excited about that,” Huntington Coach Eric Lo said. “We are throwing the ball better, and I’m excited about that. In the end, Hunter Simmons has been taking over games and again, that’s really excited to see.”
Newport Harbor has struggled. In last week’s 51-20 loss to Fountain Valley, quarterback Michael Bonds threw for 205 yards and a touchdown.
Newport Harbor’s four-game losing streak is the program’s longest since a five-game losing streak during the 1995 season.
“They are still a good team,” Lo said. “They do a good job of running the football and they are big up front, as always. They’re never out of it and Coach (Jeff) Brinkley always motivates his players.”
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Santa Ana (6-0) vs. Ocean View (3-3)
(7 p.m., Ocean View High)
In the first two weeks of the Golden West League season, Ocean View was to face the two teams that were considered favorites for the league title.
One of those teams was Westminster which last week jumped out a 14-0 lead but had to withstand a Seahawks rally to earn a 21-14 victory.
Now, Ocean View will meet a streaking Santa Ana squad that has won comfortably in its first six games.
Against Westminster, senior quarterback Blake Meyer (189 passing yards) and junior running back Adel Holmes rushed for touchdowns.
“I am proud of how my kids battled after falling behind (14-0) early,” Ocean View Coach Luis Nunez said. “We were a few plays away from getting over the hump and the loss stings because we had opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on. To beat a good team like Westminster, you can’t leave points on the field and must convert on their turnovers. The season is long from over and we got our hands full with 6-0 Santa Ana coming in.”
The Saints won their league opener last week by cruising past Loara, 49-14. Offensively, they have scored on fewer than 42 points in a game. Defensively, they have allowed no more than 16 points in a game and have three shutouts to their credit.
Their closest margin of victory has been 26 points.
Santa Ana is ranked seventh in the CIF-SS Southern Division.
“The Saints are big up front and have the (Orange) county’s leading rusher (Jorge Briseno, 23 TDs) along with his talent twin brother, (Jonathan, 11 TDs),” Nunez aid. “We can get back in the thick of things with a win Friday.”
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Brethren Christian (6-0) vs. Dymally (0-5)
(7 p.m., Dymally High)
Brethren Christian heads to Los Angeles for its final nonleague game of the season when it takes on the winless Challengers.
The Warriors remained undefeated last week by leading from start to finish in disposing of visiting Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep, 45-16, sending a homecoming game crowd home happy. Junior quarterback Joey Gutierrez, filling in for injured starter Bobbie Conklin, threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for a score. Junior running back Justin Leonard had a terrific game gaining 194 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, including a 57-yard scoring run where he bulled over a would-be tackler 40 yards out from the end zone.
“Jordan was magnificent tonight,” BC Coach Pat McInally said of Leonard. “It’s funny — I had just told him right before that great run that we needed a big run. He answered it.”
Bobby Hardigree, perfect on point-after kicks, booted a 33-yard field goal.
“I’m happy that we won but we’re very concerned about Bobbie [Conklin],” McInally said.
McInally said Monday that Conklin, who hobbled off the field early in the second quarter with BC holding a 7-0 lead, injured his ankle but “might be ready” for Friday’s game.
If not, the Warriors know what Gutierrez can do.
“I thought Joey [Gutierrez] came in and did a great job,” he said. “He’s a great thrower, and he did a great job in the summer during our passing leagues. He was impressive.”
BC, ranked second in this week’s CIF-SS East Valley Division poll, is averaging 51 points per game and will go up against a Dymally defense that has yielded an average of 36 points a game.
The Warriors face their final tune-up before starting Academy League play Oct. 24 hosting defending league and CIF-SS East Valley Division champion St. Margaret’s.
“I think we are playing really well right now but one thing we’ve got to do is pick up our play on the defensive line,” McInally said. “That’s one area where we need to improve in.”
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CIF Weekly Rankings
(released Monday)
West Valley Division: Edison, No. 9
East Valley Division: Brethren Christian, No. 2
