By Christine Garcia
On Oct. 10, the Barons took the field hoping to defend their turf, but the Laguna Beach High School (LBHS) Breakers stormed into enemy territory and dismantled the kingdom with a score of 18-63. In a lopsided defeat, Fountain Valley High School’s (FVHS) losing streak grew to 1-6 as they fell to LBHS, who have an overall score of 7-0.
“[We] would have tried to get a little bit more coverage on [LBHS]. [LBHS] were pretty good athletes. But other than that … our game plan was decent. [LBHS is] a good team—they’re really good,” Football Coach Mitch Olson said. “It wasn’t like we were making a ton of mistakes … But I’m really proud of our kids. They played very hard.”
Despite the uneven score, the Barons showed resilience in the second half. Finding their rhythm, FVHS scored three touchdowns: a deep corner catch by junior Raymond Dillion, along with a 20-yard rushing touchdown from senior Austin Wallace. Despite the second-half push, the Barons couldn’t close the gap and now look to regroup heading into their next matchup.
Key players were Dillion, sophomore Isaac Combs, senior Munir Beshir and senior Hayden Cutler.
“They all played really hard, but [Dillion, Combs, Beshir and Cutler] had pretty good games,” Olson said.
FIRST QUARTER
FVHS faced a difficult battle from the very first play. LBHS junior quarterback Jack Hurst connected with wide receiver junior Brady Stringham for a 78-yard touchdown pass as their first offensive play. This beginning continued to set the tone for the Barons that night.
Despite junior Drake Robinson’s efforts to bring down the Breakers’ offense, LBHS broke through the red zone, scoring a touchdown 7:57 minutes into the first quarter. Dillion fielded the kickoff ball at the 20-yard line, a consistent spot for the Barons. But, quarterback Combs and the offense were unable to gain traction.
On the following drive, sophomore Trenton Farr disrupted an opposing pass from LBHS, which briefly halted the Breakers’ momentum before they scored a one-yard touchdown with 45 seconds left at the end of the first quarter. The Breakers closed the first quarter with a commanding lead on the Barons, 0-21.
SECOND QUARTER
In the second quarter, junior Jack Chavez made multiple key plays to disrupt the Breakers’ rhythm. Chavez made a critical tackle near the endzone before LBHS scored a touchdown 1:33 minutes into the second quarter, and he deflected a pass between LBHS’ quarterback and wide receiver. However, FVHS’ defensive efforts weren’t enough as LBHS later scored a 50-yard touchdown.
After the following kickoff, the Barons landed at their own 10-yard line, where Combs attempted to move forward but was met with resistance from the Breakers’ defense. The Breakers continue with their momentum. Despite a crucial tackle by senior Ryan Truong, LBHS scored a touchdown with 4:01 left in the second quarter.
Again, the Barons gained possession of the ball and, despite stalling on a few plays, gained traction towards the endzone. Combs made little progress on the 35-yard line before he was sacked by an LBHS player.
Despite the Barons’ efforts to defend, Laguna Beach maintained their dominance throughout the second quarter. The scoreboard was unforgiving, revealing a large gap between the Barons and the Breakers with a score of 0-49.
THIRD QUARTER
The Barons opened the second half looking to change the tide. Wallace made a 29-yard advancement, helping the offense land at the 39-yard line. But, the team stayed stagnant at the 39-yard line, where Combs made two incomplete passes in a row. The Barons were stopped as a turnover was forced from a fumble by Dillion after completing a pass.
“Well, we didn’t really make any adjustments [at half time],” Olson said. “What we did is just tell the guys to just keep playing as hard as you can. At halftime, we made a couple [of adjustments], but basically it was just keep playing hard, represent your school, wear your colors and go have fun.”
Furthermore, Farr made a 15-yard gain, landing the Barons near midfield. The Barons got as close as they’d ever gotten, but an LBHS player broke up a crucial pass between Combs and Wallace. Ultimately, the play resulted in another turnover.
Junior Aidan Anderson provided a key tackle at the seven-yard line, but LBHS remained unstoppable, scoring another touchdown with 4:42 left in the third quarter.
The Barons finally broke through late in the third quarter. Under heavy pressure, Combs delivered a pass to Dillion, who hauled the ball into the endzone, which marked the first touchdown for the Barons with 3:10 remaining in the quarter.
In the last minute of the third quarter, the Barons attempted to draw a penalty against the Breakers for holding. However, the referees let the play stand.
Despite the Barons’ effort, they weren’t able to push back the Breakers’ offense, leading to a 4-yard touchdown in the final minute of the quarter. Shortly after, senior Timmy Nguyen suffered an injury, taking him out of the game.
FOURTH QUARTER
Towards the end of the game, Combs and Dillion proved to be a powerful duo, as Dillion made a 40-yard advancement, leading the Barons closer to the end zone. Then, Dillion made a tough catch in the far corner of the end zone, extending fully to secure the pass and completing the touchdown with 10:22 left in the game.
With 2:44 left in the game, Wallace scored a miraculous 20-yard touchdown for the Barons. Wallace broke through the gap in the Breakers’ defense and powered his way into the endzone, igniting the crowd in the final minutes of the game.
“All we want to do is get better, and the next two weeks, we play really good teams, so let’s just get better … We got better tonight,” Olson said.
The FVHS Football team will play again on Oct. 17, against Dana Hills High School, at 7:00 PM.
