Vikings look to bounce back

It was only the beginning of the month of October and Halloween was still 30 days away, yet trickery took a foul turn on the Marina High football team last week in Aliso Viejo.

Entrenched in a tight battle with host Aliso Niguel, the Vikings fell victim to trick plays in a 21-13 loss to the Wolverines. Aliso scored on a bounce lateral on its first play from scrimmage that resulted in a 62-yard touchdown. Later, the Wolverines used a halfback pass to score their second touchdown.

“We need to not let up trick plays,� Marina Coach George Pascoe said, his team confined to an indoor workout Monday due to rain. “Trick plays demoralize teams and are tough to overcome. We had our chances and just need to execute at key times.�

Alex Waked rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries and Nick Marshall kicked two field goals for the Vikings.

“Alex played a great game,� Pascoe said. “He has over 500 yards in four games. If a back is running, then the line is playing well also.�

The Vikings (2-2) get the chance at a new start this week. Tonight, they’ll be in to Anaheim to face Western, a team also reeling from a big setback.

Last Friday, Coach Toby Howell’s Pioneers (2-2) were blitzed early by rival Cypress and went on to suffer a 54-14 defeat in their Empire League opener. Western lives by the run and spreads the wealth in that department between backs Marcus Hays, who rushed for a score in the loss to Cypress and leads the team with seven touchdowns, and Mike Jefferson.

“Coach Howell will have them ready to bounce back after last week,� Pascoe said. “We need to stop their ball control offense and get them off the field. Then, when we get our chances, we need to make the most of them. In the red zone we need touchdowns, not field goals.�

Other games:

Huntington Beach (2-2) vs. San Juan Hills (5-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tesoro High: Two teams who have rolled in recent weeks collide as Huntington Beach goes to Tesoro High to take on undefeated San Juan Hills.

Last week, Huntington cruised to a 31-7 nonleague win against visiting Westminster, while San Juan Hills routed University, 45-16. Oilers coach Eric Lo calls Friday’s nonleague clash is a crucial test for his squad in its final tune-up before the start of Sunset League play.

“San Juan is a very good team…and an explosive team,� Lo said of the Stallions, who are ranked eighth in this week’s CIF Southwest Division poll. “They have a really good quarterback, a good running game and good offensive line. We are going to have to limit them on the big plays in order to win.�

The San Juan Hills is led by quarterback Wil Acromite, a two-way threat, and its rush game spearheaded by a trio of backs: Kyle Bauer, Connor O’Modhrain and Michael Perryman. In last week’s win over University, Perryman had 330 yards of total offense and scored four touchdowns and Acromite passed for 245 yards, with three touchdowns to Perryman.

In five games, the Stallions have outscored their opponents by an average of 37-16.

Huntington and San Juan Hills have a common opponent in Foothill. The Oilers defeated the Knights, 17-3, on Sept. 17 and the Stallions won by a 28-25 score the following week.

The last time Huntington faced a prolific offense the likes of San Juan Hills was Sept. 23 against Aliso Niguel. The Oilers shut down the high-powered Wolverines to claim a 44-3 victory.

In last week’s decisive win over Westminster, Huntington blitzed the Lions for three touchdowns in a five-minute span of the second quarter and rode a dominating first-half performance to a homecoming game victory.

Max Talbert started the scoring with a 48-yard field goal, Chris Ogilvie intercepted a pass to set up a seven-yard scoring run by Nolan Biegel, Ramon Vargas scored on 49-yard pass play from quarterback Michael Chislock and running back Fisher Chavira scored on a six-yard run for a 24-0 halftime lead.

Biegel, a junior running back, capped Huntington’s scoring on a tackle-breaking, 35-yard run in the third quarter.

In the past three games, the Huntington defense has given up just one touchdown.

“I thought we played well and made plays when we needed to,� Lo said. “We had some big plays. On top of that, our defense played really well.

“I think we are heading in the right direction. We are competing hard and were playing with some fire in our eyes. That’s great to see.�

Brethren Christian (3-2) vs. Chadwick (4-0), 2 p.m. Saturday at Chadwick High:

Coming off its highest scoring output since the 2005 season, Brethren Christian will need that same offensive prowess when it travels to Palos Verdes to meet up with a high-scoring and highly ranked Chadwick team.

Brethren Christian last week whipped St. Anthony, 54-31. Quarterback Sam Franklin threw two touchdowns passes to Levi Duren, one to Alex Debardelaben and ran for a 62-yard score, Brandon White rushed for a pair of scores and Bryant Freese ran for another, and Debardelaben scored on an 85-yard kickoff return. Franklin rushed for 112 yards and threw for 186 more.

“Everybody came to play and we were hitting on all cylinders,� Warriors Coach Bruce Eien said, noting the play of Franklin and Debardelaben. “Big game from both sides of the ball.�

Undefeated Chadwick, ranked second in the CIF Northern Division, is coming off 61-6 drubbing of St. Joseph’s Academy. The Dolphins are led by a pair of juniors in quarterback Hank Trumbull and running back Chudi Iregbulem. Trumbull is averaging 206 yards through the air and Iregbulem 110 on the ground.

The win over St. Joseph’s Academy marked the second time this season that the Dolphins have topped the 60-points mark. On Sept. 23, they outlasted Los Angeles Baptist, 68-59.

Idle: Edison, Fountain Valley, Ocean View.

Edison (3-2): Like Fountain Valley and Ocean View, Edison concluded the nonleague portion of its schedule last week. The Chargers were saddled with their second straight loss, falling, 27-7, to Mater Dei at Orange Coast College on Friday. Chase Favreau threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Dejean King in the final minute of the first half for Edison, which suffered its widest margin of defeat since a 42-14 loss in 2007 to Mater Dei.

The Chargers begin defense of their Sunset League title Oct. 14 against Marina at Huntington Beach High’s Sheue Field.

Fountain Valley (2-2-1): After starting the season 0-2, Fountain Valley ended nonleague play with a 2-0-1 run the past three weeks after playing Scripps Ranch to a 10-10 tie Friday. The Barons open their Sunset League schedule Oct. 15 hosting Los Alamitos in their homecoming game at Huntington Beach High’s Sheue Field.

Ocean View (4-1): Ocean View concluded a highly successful nonleague schedule last Friday by rolling to a 44-6 victory against visiting Saddleback. The Seahawks blew the game open in the first quarter by storming to a 30-0 lead on the Roadrunners. Junior running back Timmy Robinson scored three times and Travis Sparks returned an interception for another score in the opening quarter. Blake Walker took in a 37-yard scoring pass from quarterback Nolan Tippy to up the lead to 37-6 at the half and Sparks concluded the scoring in the fourth quarter on a 68-yard run.

Sparks led all rushers with 172 yards and Ocean View won its fourth game to equal its win total of a year ago.

The Seahawks begin the second half of their season Oct. 14 by opening Golden West League play against Orange at Fred Kelly Stadium.