Orange County Prep Saturday : Westminster Earns a Win and Gains Some Respect : Three Scores in 2nd Period Top Foothill

Westminster High School gained a small measure of respect for the Sunset League Friday night by unveiling a potent passing attack in a 28-19 win over Foothill in front of 1,000 on Northrup Field in Tustin.

The Lions (3-2) amassed 344 yards in total offense and scored 3 touchdowns in the second quarter. Their record is far from imposing, but it’s the best mark in the Sunset League after five weeks of play.

The once-proud members of the Sunset League will limp into league play next week with a mediocre 10-20 mark against nonleague competition. Edison (0-5) failed to win a game. Fountain Valley (1-4) and Marina (1-4) weren’t much better.

Westminster earned victories against two good teams, upsetting Esperanza two weeks ago and then holding off Foothill.

“This was a good win for us going into league,” said Jack Bowman, Lion co-coach. “We’ll feel pretty good after this game, but then it’s time to get down to business.

“I know some of the teams in the league have losing records, but everybody is getting better and every game will be tough.”

The Lions appear to be ready for league. They passed for 213 yards and rushed for another 131 yards in their final tuneup and may have scored more if not for five costly holding penalties.

Westminster built a 21-6 lead in the second quarter behind the passing of quarterback Bob Elliott and the rushing of fullback Brian O’Hara. Elliott completed 7 of 13 passes for 134 yards in the first half, setting up two short touchdown runs by halfback Dax Hammers.

O’Hara scored on a 64-yard run with 2:51 remaining in the half to lead, 21-6. He had 93 yards in 10 carries at halftime.

Foothill (3-2) managed to stay within striking range when quarterback Tom Hawkins teamed with tight end Glen Nicol on a 53-yard scoring play with 1:45 remaining in the half to cut the lead to 21-13.

But Elliott was superb, connecting with five different receivers. Al Togonon, a crafty junior with excellent hands, caught 4 passes for 99 yards, most of them coming in heavy traffic.

“Everybody saw tonight that we have a good quarterback and some fine receivers who made some great catches,” Bowman said. “This is one of our better offensive teams.”

The Lions snapped Foothill’s three-game winning streak, but they couldn’t contain Knight running back Johnny Mountain. He gained 164 yards in 25 carries and has 865 yards in 5 games.

“We’ve seen some good running backs this year, but he’s the best we’ve faced,” said Stan Clark, Lion co-coach.

“We makes those quick little cuts that are tough for a defensive player to adjust to. He’s awfully good.”

The Knights gained 238 yards on the ground. But if the Knights have a weakness, it’s their inability to generate much passing offense. Hawkins passed for only 80 yards, and 53 of those came on the touchdown play to Nicol.