By Uy Pham
The Fountain Valley High School Barons (1-0) scored seven touchdowns as opposed to the Seahawks’ single touchdown on Friday night, securing the Barons’ first win of the season in an away matchup at Ocean View (0-1).
Seniors Luke Taylor and Brady Tomko secured two touchdowns for the Barons, with senior Lucas Alexander leading the Barons’ offense as the quarterback throughout the entire game. The Barons’ defense, including junior Austin Wallace’s tight pass coverage and interception as well as the Barons’ firm defensive line, stopped the Seahawks’ runs and attempts at gaining first downs all night long.
“Communication is number one, we want to over-communicate with whatever we see,” Barons’ head coach David Guiterrez said. “I think our boys on defense did a great job at that, so they just have to be consistent with it — it’s easy to play when things are going well, it’s when things get tough.”
At the game, Ocean View inducted its inaugural class to the school’s football Hall of Fame. With Fountain Valley being a local matchup, Ocean View head coach Daniel Hernandez felt that this game would help start the season with a test and welcome back the alumni.
“We had the choice of doing [the Hall of Fame] this week or next week against Anaheim. I chose Fountain Valley because we haven’t played against them in 31 years … The result is miniscule in the grand scheme of things. It’s week zero,” Hernandez said. “I want to play Fountain Valley and these other local teams. We have to set a standard and the expectation is to want to be in these games and compete. How do you challenge yourself if you’re not willing to step outside your comfort zone?”
The Barons set the tempo early on the game — senior Cole Andrews kicked and recovered an onside kick to catch the Seahawks off-guard in the opening play. Alexander attempted to build on the tempo, but a penalty set the Barons back. Several runs by junior Cameron Farr gained yardage, but Alexander was sacked on fourth and 11, leading to a turnover on downs.
In their first drive, the Seahawks struggled against Fountain Valley’s defensive line. Junior Sam Garza and senior Frank Oviedo secured tackles, and the Seahawks were forced to punt. Despite the Barons losing a yard on the next play, a 95-yard touchdown from a deep sideline pass to Luke Taylor put the Barons’ first seven points on the board.
“We emphasized a lot about playing our football, not their football,” Taylor said. “We wanted to play really good, hard football. We had a couple of times where we let up, which we need to fix.”
Ocean View’s next drive faced similar struggles with Wallace intercepting the ball on the second play, positioning the Barons on Ocean View’s 12-yard line. Alexander seized the opportunity, passing to senior Charles Grover for another touchdown and extending the lead to 14-0 with 1:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Wallace and senior Nicholas Southern provided key defensive plays, and a blocked Ocean View punt helped the Barons recover the ball again in Seahawk territory. At 10:41 in the second quarter, Olivares caught two passes in a row and sidestepped his way into the endzone for the Barons’ third touchdown.
Fountain Valley would remain scoreless for the rest of the quarter but maintained strong defense to hold back the Seahawks’ office. Wallace, Southern and junior Matthew Simeta helped to hold the Barons’ line. However, with 6:11 remaining, the Seahawks slowly worked their way up the field and converted a second and goal to comfortably run into the endzone for their touchdown. An extra point blocked by junior Munir Beshir made the score 21-6.
“The message to the team all week was don’t quit,” Hernandez said. “Fountain Valley’s a good team, they’ve been in the Sunset [League] for a long time … This game is a big step for us. And, to be honest, my kids competed to the very end of the game.”
On the offensive side, the Barons struggled with incomplete passes, penalties and a fumble preventing further offensive traction. Andrews caught a few passes, but a touchdown catch was called back for a holding penalty. To end the quarter, Alexander, unable to find a pass, scrambled and was tackled.
The Barons received the ball to start the third quarter. Despite a few penalties pushing Fountain Valley back, Taylor and Olivares caught a few passes to move the offense forward. Alexander faked a pass and ran, while Olivares caught another pass to bring the ball with.
Farr and Taylor minimally advanced the ball with the ball now within goal, but the Barons still fell barely short in front of the goal line. However, despite the initial struggles, Alexander ran and snuck through the Ocean View defense to score a touchdown of his own, bringing the score to 28-6 with 7:56 remaining.
On the next drive, thanks to Tomko and Wallace’s defense on the previous downs, Taylor intercepted the ball on the third play. A deep throw by Alexander to Tomko for a 30-yard touchdown brought the score to 35-6.
The Barons forced another punt on the defensive side; the Barons defense forced the Ocean View quarterback to be sacked and scramble, as he was unable to locate a pass. On the next drive, the Barons immediately found Taylor on a diagonal run toward the end zone. With 3:53 remaining, Taylor, breaking three tackles and maneuvering around the Ocean View defense, secured his second touchdown and the Barons’ sixth touchdown of the night.
Olivares and the Barons’ defense held the Seahawks scoreless on the following drive yet again, and the ball shifted back to the hands of Alexander. To open the fourth quarter, Farr ran the ball twice, and Tomko secured a 50-yard passing touchdown for the Barons’ seventh and final touchdown of the game with a score of 49-6.
To finish the game, Ocean View attempted to run and work their way up the field slowly, but the Barons’ defense finished off the night with the firm defensive performance that had dominated the game.
“Looking at our league, it’s a tough league. Everyone’s been in the playoffs, a couple of CIF championships in the last few years,” Gutierrez said. “Moving onward from this game, we just want to play Baron football … keep our team poised and composed throughout the entire game.”
The Barons will face Esperanza High School (0-0) in another nonleague away game next Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
