By Shayan Abbasi & Jayden Nguyen
This past Thursday the Fountain Valley High School Barons cruised to a dominating victory of 48-7 against the Canyon High School (CHS) Comanches, improving the varsity team season record to 3-2.
“[The] offense executed very well today and defense picked up in the second half, it was a great game,” junior Lucas Alexander said.
After the opening kickoff, the two teams were engaged in a defensive standoff for the majority of the first quarter until the quarterback from CHS passed the ball into the Baron’s endzone. Followed by the successful point conversion, the Comanches started out the game with a lead of 0-7.
The Barons started in favor of the Barons as a penalty flag was waved, awarding the Barons five yards. The majority of yards attained were thanks to senior running back Gabriel Regalado rushing 17 yards and obtaining a 3rd down for Fountain Valley. Junior Nolan Olivares chimed in with a run of his own and converted seven yards for another Baron gain.
Senior quarterback Noa Banua then threw the ball into the outstretched hands of #7 Lucas Alexander to make a touchdown at 9:13. The one-point conversion attempt was scored by Olivares, and with plenty of time left in the second quarter, the score was tied at 7. The Comanches followed the touchdown by forcing 2 incomplete passes and a punt into the 20-yard line. The Comanches rallied and found a way to force Fountain Valley back and regain possession of the ball.
Taking advantage of the Comanche quarterback’s hesitancy to throw, senior Landon Rittenhouse weaved his way through the defense and made a crucial sack with 5:07 remaining in the first half. The Barons quickly obtained possession after this play and started making a push for the endzone. With 1:25 left on the clock, a sense of urgency was present in the Fountain Valley offense, as Banua pushed the pace. On the crucial third down, Banua threw a perfect 13-yard spiral into the endzone for Alexander, who received it and scored a touchdown for the Barons. The successful point conversion by Olivares increased the lead 14-7 in favor of the Barons. The Barons finished the 2nd quarter with stellar offense and emphatic defense, scoring 2 touchdowns and holding the Comanche offense to a single touchdown.
The third quarter started with Barons in possession, making a push starting at the 50-yard line. Overcoming an unsuccessful first down, the Barons turned it around in the second down, with Banua throwing a 20-yard pass off to Regalado. On the next play, weaving through the Comanche defensive line, Banua rushed past the shield of linebackers to score a touchdown at 11:27 left in the third quarter. The successful conversion by Olivares increased the Baron lead to 21-7.
Following the offensive play, the Baron defense stood tough against the Comanche offense, forcing them to attempt a long pass down the middle which was intercepted by Sam Garza. This stellar play gave possession of the ball back to the Barons, with 8:15 left on the clock.
A handoff to Regalado, followed by a pass to Alexander made substantial gains for Fountain Valley. A pass off to Regalado capped off the dominant Fountain Valley possession, as he scored a 15-yard touchdown, dashing into the right corner of the endzone. The Baron offense had made an impressive 50-yard play in less than 50 seconds. With the successful conversion by Olivares, Barons led with a score of 41-7, with 7:25 left in the quarter.
The Barons’ defensive wall stood strong, forcing a Hail Mary throw by the Comanches in the next possession. This throw was intercepted by junior Brady Tomko, who ran the ball down the field for a 60-yard gain, giving the Barons another possession with 4:00 left in the quarter. Banua quickly threw a bullet pass to Alexander down the middle, who made a 50-yard reception, scoring a resounding touchdown to increase the score to 47-7 for the Fountain Valley.
Heading into the final quarter, the Barons seeked to maintain their 48-7 lead. Holding their own, the strong Baron defense held the Comanche offense to a single field goal, and the final score was 48-10.
The Barons’ next game is a home game against Los Alamitos on Thursday, 9/28, at 7:00 p.m.
