Opening night success

Four local prep football teams opened their respective seasons last week and a fifth, went into the win column for the second time.

Gaining their first victories were Huntington Beach, Marina and Brethren Christian – the latter at the expense of Ocean View. The fourth winner from the weekend, Edison, scored another double-digit victory.

For Marina, its opening win was momentous.

Five teams are back in action this week, with Fountain Valley kicking things off with a Thursday game.

Thursday

Long Beach Wilson (1-0) vs. Fountain Valley (0-1)

(7 p.m., Huntington Beach High)

Fountain Valley will try to regroup from a season-opening loss to Servite when it plays host to the 1-0 Bruins.

The Barons found the going tough Friday against Servite and were handed a 44-0 defeat by the Friars. It won’t be easy against a Wilson squad that last week started its season with a 35-6 rout of Mayfair.

The Bruins’ defense set the pace and was led in the first quarter by senior linebacker Thomas Pridy who blocked a punt on the game’s opening drive that was recovered in the end zone by teammate Shawn Winston. Pridy also returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown later in the first quarter.

Wilson was ranked No. 7 in the preseason CIF Southern Section Division 6 poll and handled a Mayfair team that was ranked sixth preseason in Division 9. The Bruins head into Thursday’s game ranked fifth in Division 6.

Friday

Ocean View (0-1) vs. Marina (1-0)

(7 p.m., Westminster High)

Neighboring schools and one-time Sunset League foes continue a rivalry that was resumed in 2013 when they meet in Marina’s home opener at Boswell Field.

Marina had plenty to cheer about late last Friday at Dana Hills. First, the Vikings won their season opener in style, taking a 34-14 victory from the Dolphins. It was a momentous win, too, as it was the first in a season opener for the program since a 12-0 win at Paramount to launch the 2003 season.

“It was a nice way to start the season, and it was a nice bus ride home, too,� third-year Marina Coach Jeff Turley said. “We did things well, overall, but there still is a lot of clean-up to do. We had too many penalties and dropped balls. Fortunately, those are things we can fix.�

Marina junior running back Blaine Riederich rushed for more than 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns, senior receiver Noah Holmes took in two touchdown receptions from junior quarterback Ian Green, and senior cornerback Rand Keidel scored on an interception return.

“We had several kids who played really well,� Turley said. “Blaine’s performance was a big deal and Noah [Holmes] had some big touchdowns and another long one that was called back due to a penalty. Jake Arnold had a really good game on both sides of the line, and that pick-six by Rand [Keidel] was the first pick-six for our defense since I’ve been here.�

Keidel’s interception was one of four for the Vikings. Junior middle linebacker Seth Bontrager, junior outside linebacker Caden Snyder and junior outside linebacker David Zamora each had an interception.

“The best part of the [Dana Hills] win was that the kids came focused and showed up ready the next day at Saturday’s practice,� Turley said. “That was great to see.�

Ocean View has already played at Boswell Field. The Seahawks began their season there Friday against another Huntington Beach team, Brethren Christian and played the Warriors tough but turnovers derailed their chances in a 15-7 loss.

The turning points in the setback came early, as the Seahawks fumbled the ball away on their first two possessions which had gone deep into BC territory and wiped out scoring opportunities.

The Seahawks turned the ball over four times.

“I told the kids that’s the game of football,� Ocean View Coach Luis Nuñez said. “You can’t turn the ball over like that and expect to win. We had our scoring chances with four trips inside the red zone, but we couldn’t finish. You’ve got to finish if you want to win.�

Ocean View had an opportunity to go into the locker room at the half with some momentum, but couldn’t get into the end zone from inside the five-yard line. The Seahawks punched in their only score in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Xavier Salgado took off the three-yard line and somersaulted into the end zone.

Ocean View’s defense held Brethren Christian, which averaged 48 points per game last year, to one touchdown.

“I think Ocean View is a good team,� Turley said. “You either get beat by a team or you lose a game. I thought they lost that game.�

Ocean View has won two of the three series games played since 2013.

San Clemente (0-1) vs. Huntington Beach (1-0)

(7 p.m., Huntington Beach High)

A battle between ranked teams takes place at Sheue Field when the Oilers make their season home debut.

Huntington, which rolled to a 43-0 season-opening win Friday, has jumped to No. 7 in the CIF-SS Division 7 poll after being unranked to begin the season. San Clemente, ranked No. 4 preseason in Division 2, dropped to No. 10 after a season-opening loss.

The Oilers started fast on the road in Los Angeles against West Adams Prep and stormed to a 43-0 shutout victory. Sophomore receiver/free safety Jeremiah Flanagan had a big return of the opening kickoff to set up an opening score. Junior quarterback Nick Welch threw for 142 yards and touchdown passes to Flanagan and senior receiver Sean Welsh, and junior running back Carson Contreras led the Oilers’ ground game with 74 yards and rushed for three touchdowns on 13 carries.

“We played pretty well for a first game,� said Huntington’s Brett Brown who was victorious in his head coaching debut. “I thought we played really well defensively which set the tone early. There are some things we need to work on, but those things are fixable.�

Huntington’s defense shined. Ends Noah Thomas, a junior, registered a safety and senior Derek Thomas (no relation) had eight tackles and five sacks. Senior middle linebacker Chase Elliott caused a fumble which he picked up and returned for a touchdown, and senior nose guard Jonah Apelu gave an “all-around great defensive effort,� Brown said.

“It definitely was a really good team effort,� Brown said. “We’ll need an even bigger effort against a very explosive San Clemente team, with [Jack] Sears at quarterback and Jack Reaves at running back and receiver.�

San Clemente lost a high-scoring affair to Oceanside which outscored the host Tritons, 23-14 in the fourth quarter to come away with a 51-42 victory in an opener Friday. Sears, who committed last month to Duke, threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns and was the Tritons’ leading rusher with 139 yards and two scores. Reaves had 110 yards of total offense and a TD reception from Sears.

“They have several big play-makers and it’s going to be a big challenge for us,� Brown said of Huntington’s home opener. “We need to bring a lot of energy if we want to come away with a win, and our guys are excited for the challenge.�

Saturday

Boron (0-1) vs. Brethren Christian (1-0)

(7 p.m., Boron High)

Brethren Christian, which originally was to host this game, goes for win No. 2 when it travels to face the Broncos in another game between ranked teams.

BC, ranked No. 1 in CIF-SS Division 10, came away with a 15-7 win in a season-opening struggle with Ocean View. The Warriors defense played a huge role in the victory, the first big stop coming on a fumble recovery during the game’s first possession after Ocean View had quickly reached the BC 15. The second defensive theft put BC in control.

The Warriors turned the first Ocean View turnover into a 75-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Joey Gutierrez to senior fullback Dante Sanchez. After Ocean View took the ensuing kickoff and marched down inside the BC three, senior BC safety Josh Gorrell scooped up a fumble near the goal line and returned it 99 yards for a stunning touchdown.

From there, the BC defense held on.

“There were a lot of strange things happening in this game,� BC Coach Pat McInally said. “I didn’t expect this to be a 15-7 game, either.

“I thought our defense played an outstanding game. We made some key plays. Ocean View did a really nice job on defense. We knew they’d be a physical team for us and we knew it’d be a tough game. On offense, I thought Nathan [Sagastume] did an amazing job at quarterback. He kept [Ocean View] off balance.�

Gutierrez, BC’s returning quarterback, hit the turf in the first half and suffered a knee injury. The senior didn’t return, and Sagastume, a speedy slot player, filled in the remainder of the game.

McInally said Gutierrez “could play� Saturday.

Despite dropping its season opener last week, Boron is ranked No. 10 in Division 13. The Bobcats were done in at home by Kern Valley which rallied in the fourth quarter for a 29-26 victory. Senior running back Laron Cherry carried the ball 33 times and gained 201 yards and scored twice.

Bye: Edison

Chargers win again

Edison went to 2-0 by coming back to race past visiting Tesoro, 31-14, Saturday at Huntington Beach High.

The Chargers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter only to see the Titans score twice to grab a 14-10 advantage. The Chargers then rolled off the final 21 points of the game.

Edison had opened its season Aug. 20 in Maui, Hawaii, and defeated Baldwin, 56-21.

Tesoro, 10-3 a year ago, was playing its season opener Saturday.

“I felt like we got better from the previous week,� Edison Coach Dave White said. “Our offensive line got better and our defense got better against the run. Those were two things we needed to do. We made some nice strides from the Baldwin game.

“We had a good first quarter, a not-so-good second quarter, and weren’t too good the first four minutes in the third quarter. But after that, we dominated.�

Tesoro had taken a 14-10 lead in the third quarter but an 81-yard return of the ensuing kickoff by McCade Barrett to the Tesoro one which “really provided a spark for us,� White said. Junior tailback Jack Carmichael scored on a five-yard run two plays later to put Edison in the lead for good.

Carmichael rushed 16 times for 61 yards and a score, junior quarterback Griffin O’Connor was 13 of 19 for 186 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. Senior receiver Shaun Colamonico had seven receptions total 82 yards with two touchdowns, and junior kicker Jack Morrell booted a 37-yard field goal.

The Chargers are on a bye week and have additional time to prepare for their Sept. 9 game against Canyon/Anaheim at El Modena High’s Fred Kelly Stadium.

They headed into the bye week with a No. 2 ranking behind La Mirada in CIF-SS Division 2, up one spot from their preseason ranking.

“We need it,� White said of the bye. “We’re a little tired but we’ll work hard in the weight room and on the field to get ready for our next game.�

CIF Weekly Rankings (released Monday)

Division 3: Edison, No. 2

Division 7: Huntington Beach, No. 8

Division 10: Brethren Christian, No. 1