By Matthew Nguyen, Sports Editor
On Thursday, Fountain Valley earned their first win of the season in a resounding 40-7 victory over Woodbridge. After a tough two week start, in which they lost both their games, the Barons hoped to right the ship against the warriors.
Having had a stagnant offense the previous two weeks, the barons hoped to get out to an early start in the first quarter. With a game plan featuring a hard-nosed running attack sprinkled with play action and screen passes, Fountain Valley was able to meticulously drive down the field with ease. With seconds dripping off of the clock Senior running back Tanner Ciok weaved through defenders with ease on his way to an opening quarter touchdown for the barons and which closed with a score of 10-0 Fountain Valley.
“I honestly think it’s the kind [of game] where you keep hammering away and hammering away and [then] you break a tackle then boom, [a touchdown] happens.” said head coach Chris Anderson.
The second quarter is where it all came together for the barons. The warriors started off with the ball on their half of the food but stout defense upfront from Fountain Valley forced a quick three and out. The barons didn’t stray far from their original plan. They looked to continue to give Ciok the ball and he paid them back in full after taking a sweep to the outside and cutting up for a 13-yard touchdown, 17-0 Fountain Valley. The warriors responded with a quick touchdown of their own. After the kickoff return, Woodbridge’s running back took a handoff 74 yards for a touchdown.
Unwavered by the Warrior’s touchdown, the barons marched back onto the field looking to return the favor. Senior wide receiver Blake Anderson followed up with his own long touchdown catching a bomb touchdown 68 yards to the house. Anderson scored again on the ensuing drive, this time off a 38-yard pass to the back of the endzone. The barons ended the half with a commanding 31-7 lead.
The third quarter became a defense stalemate for both teams. Fountain Valley focused on controlling the ball while Woodbridge couldn’t seem to make a dent in the barons’ defense. The first points of the second half weren’t scored until midway through the fourth, when botched snap allowed for a safety during a warriors punt attempt. The game would end with a resounding 40- 7 victory for the barons as they hope to carry the momentum onward.
“Today is a reflection of the improvement from when we started to where we are now, but we can’t stop here,” said Anderson, “We got to continue to practice hard and get better and continue moving.”
