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High School Football: Marina prevails

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — The first football meeting in 20 years between Marina High and Ocean View ended the same as it did that last matchup in 1993: a Marina victory.

The Vikings used a quick-paced offense to set the game’s early tone, withstood a few challenges by Ocean View, and scored the final nine points to pull away to a 33-14 nonleague victory Friday at Ocean View.

It was the first win of the young season for the Vikings, who last week dropped their opener at Pico Rivera El Rancho.

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Ocean View was making its season debut Friday.

“This is our first game and it’s [Marina’s] second, so they got to work out some kinks,” second-year Ocean View Coach Luis Nunez said. “Hopefully, we can work out our kinks and learn from this game.”

Marina took a two-touchdown lead after its first two possessions of the game, and it looked as though the Vikings might roll to an easy win. But Ocean View kept the game within reach, cutting the lead to seven points early in the second quarter, and was within 10 points (24-14) with nine minutes remaining.

Turnovers, which doomed Marina in its loss last week to El Rancho, cost the Seahawks who had a couple of drives end on interceptions.

Ocean View was breaking in a new quarterback, Blake Meyer, and the sophomore was intercepted four times.

“We’ve got a young quarterback and we expected to take our lumps a bit,” Nunez said. “They didn’t turn the ball over, and we did four times. We had our chances.”

Marina used a offensive deluge early to establish control. Senior quarterback Daylan Harmeyer, a transfer from Edison, picked apart the Seahawks with the short pass. He hit his first 10 passes of the game and spearheaded a pair of six-play scoring drives in the opening quarter.

On Marina’s first possession of the game, Harmeyer was five of five and capped an 85-yard drive, which took only two minutes, with a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Dawayne Jackson.

On the next Marina drive, which started at the Ocean View 39-yard line following a short punt, he went four of four to cover 32 yards. The possession ended on a five-yard touchdown run by junior tight end Josh Gordon.

Marina held a 14-0 lead with 58 seconds left in the quarter.

Peppering the Ocean View defense with the quick pass was what Marina Coach George Pascoe had wanted.

“If we were to be successful, we had to do that,” Pascoe said. “Our offensive line is really young and [short passes] helped us get going.”

The two-touchdown lead at the end of the quarter pleased Pascoe. Against El Rancho Aug. 30, the Vikings were in a 42-6 hole at the half.

“I thought our kids came out and did a nice job,” he said. “We executed, played offense and defense. We were focused and on a mission.”

That two-TD advantage was cut in half early in the second quarter when Ocean View running back Daniel Valencia plowed straight up the middle for a 15-yard scoring run with 9:17 left in the half. Valencia carried the ball six times during the eight-play, 61-yard scoring drive.

Nunez said Valencia, who rushed for 478 yards last year as a junior, would be the workhorse on the Ocean View offense this year, and he was Friday. Valencia took the bulk of carries (23) and finished with a game-high 144 yards.

He racked up big yardage despite playing with a tight quadriceps which Nunez said had nagged the senior all week.

Ocean View recovered a short kickoff at the Marina 35 following the Valencia scoring run but two plays after it was set up in prime field position, Marina senior linebacker Nolan Winks came up with an interception at the 25.

On Ocean View’s next possession, the Seahawks moved from their own 15 to the Marina 35 but the drive ended when Vikings junior defensive back Jacob Lopez picked off Meyer at the Marina 28 with 1:15 left in the half.

That was enough time for the Vikings to get in one last score before halftime. They faced fourth-and-five at the Ocean View 48 but Harmeyer and Gordon kept the drive alive by hooking up on a seven-yard pass play. A 15-yard pass from Harmeyer to Lopez took the ball to the 26, and senior Landon Marshall came on to nail a 43-yard field goal with three seconds left for a 17-7 lead.

Harmeyer was 15 of 17 for 160 yards in the first half, one incompletion coming when he spiked the ball to stop the clock on the Vikings’ final scoring drive of the half. Midway through the third quarter, he threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Cooper Davies that took the Marina lead to 24-7. It was the first reception of the game for Davies.

Ocean View drew to within 24-14 with 9:09 remaining in the game when Meyer threw a nice pass downfield which junior receiver Tyler Clay ran under and caught for a 20-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play.

It was the closest the Seahawks would get.

Marina answered on its next possession which ended with a 29-yard field goal by Marshall with 6:53 left. An interception by senior defensive back Clay Fischer on Ocean View’s ensuring possession, set up the Vikings at their own 45. It led to the final score of the night, a one-yard run by Zach Blair with 2:04 left.

Senior defensive back Scott Phillips registered Marina’s fourth interception of the game with 1:49 to play.

Harmeyer threw for 278 yards. Gordon was the game’s leading receiver with 119 yards.

Meyer threw for 82 yards and Seahawks junior Jerred Vogt, who was moved from tight end and linebacker to the fullback spot, had some big runs and finished with 68 yards.

Friday’s game drew one of the largest crowds at Ocean View Stadium, and both Pascoe and Nunez said they’d like to see a yearly renewal of the series which stopped after Ocean View left the Sunset League at the end of the 1993-94 school year.

“I hope so,” Pascoe said when asked for his thoughts on continuing a Marina-Ocean View series. “It’s a city game.”

Nunez said the schools did sign a two-year contract and that Ocean View will play at Marina in the 2014 season.

*

Marina (1-1)

19...El Rancho 49

33...Ocean View...14

Sept. 13: at Westminster (Westminster High), 7 p.m.

Sept. 20: San Juan Hills (Westminster High), 7 p.m.

Oct. 4: Capistrano Valley (Westminster High), 7 p.m.

Oct. 11: at *Fountain Valley (Westminster High), 7 p.m.

Oct. 18: *Los Alamitos (Westminster High, 7 p.m.

Oct. 24: at *Huntington Beach, 7 p.m.

Nov. 1: *Newport Harbor (Huntington Beach High), 7 p.m.

Nov. 8: *Edison (Westminster High), 7 p.m.

(*denotes Sunset League game)

*

Ocean View (0-1)

14...Marina...33

Thursday: at Estancia, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20: at Cerritos (Gahr High), 7 p.m.

Sept. 27: at Bolsa Grande, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4: vs. Los Amigos, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11: vs. *Loara, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17: vs. *Santa Ana, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25: at *Segerstrom, 7 p.m.

Nov. 1: at *Westminster, 7 p.m.

Nov. 8: vs. *Orange, 7 p.m.

(*denotes Golden West League game)

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