Barons Stun Los Alamitos

Steven Fifita hobbled through the postgame handshake line with the aid of a crutch, left ankle wrapped in ice.

Nedal Abdelmuti limped, obviously pained each time he put his right leg forward.

The worn-down, beat-up Fountain Valley running back tandem, dripping in sweat and covered in Long Beach Veterans Stadium sod, still couldn’t stop smiling.

Led by Fifita and Abdelmuti, the unranked Barons did the unthinkable Thursday night, upsetting top-ranked Los Alamitos, 34-27, in a hard-hitting Sunset League game.

“Everyone was doubting us,” said Fifita, a 240-pound bruising fullback who had 153 yards and two touchdowns in 13 carries, including a 76-yard scoring rumble just after halftime.

“It seems like we show up to play in the big games. We were the only ones who thought we could do this.”

Both backs were injured in a victory over Huntington Beach two weeks ago, and neither played in a 20-3 loss to Marina last week. Coach Eric Johnson said he waited until game time to decide if they would play Thursday.

“This is Los Alamitos,” Fifita said. “I would have played even if I was dying.”

Fountain Valley (5-3, 2-1 in league play) hadn’t beaten Los Alamitos (7-1, 2-1) since a 21-0 playoff victory in 1976.

Abdelmuti, the shifty, speedy tailback, has a bad hamstring, but managed to break free for a 64-yard score early in the first quarter, pumping his fist on the way to the end zone.

He finished with 95 yards and two touchdowns in 11 carries.

For all the running-back heroics, some critical playmaking by the Baron defense also played a key role.

The Barons held Los Alamitos running back Damon Johnson to one yard on fourth and two early in the third quarter and stuffed Johnson on fourth and inches later in the quarter.

The Griffins trailed, 34-17, heading into the fourth, but pulled to within seven, 34-27, on a 29-yard Chris Kluwe field goal with 2:15 to play. After a failed onside kick, Los Alamitos forced a Fountain Valley punt, then drove to the Baron 24.

But a fourth-down pass from Mike Sanford to Steve Shinen went off Shinen’s fingertips with 44 seconds to play and Fountain Valley held on.

“When you stop someone on fourth down, it’s like a turnover,” Eric Johnson said. “That’s a big momentum change when you do that.”