Sideliners

Four days after fighting to a 21-21 tie with Newport Harbor High,

the Marina Vikings learned Monday that they will be without the services

of starting fullback Ray Mietkiewicz, the team’s leading rusher, for

Friday’s game at Upland. Mietkiewicz broke his right wrist during the

third quarter of last Thursday’s battle with the Sailors, X-rays on

Sunday revealed a break, and he returned to class Monday in a cast.

According to Coach Mark Rehling, Mietkiewicz will be out of action

indefinitely...

The 1999 prep football season is just two weeks old, but the Marina

High defense already is making its mark: in two games, the Viking ‘D’ has

recorded three safeties and nine quarterback sacks...

Keep an eye out for Ocean View Erick Falessi, a junior

linebacker/receiver who has given two big performances to start the

season...

Ocean View has opened the season with back-to-back 40 point games (48

and 46, respectively) to begin the season. Can anybody remember when - or

better yet, if - that has happened in Seahawk football down through the

years?...

In its first three games, Edison has scored an average of 45

points per outing...

Edison has a bye this week, which is something no previous Charger

team has had this late in the season (Edison began its season a week

earlier than most schools, opening the ’99 campaign with a Sept. 2 win

over Punahou in Hawaii)...

Speaking of Edison: the Chargers removed a big monkey off their

backs last Friday by winning at Capistrano Valley for the first time.

Now, they have one more curse to lift: last year at this time, Edison was

3-0, but went winless the final seven games of the ’98 season. They can

continue their present roll with a win over Long Beach Wilson Sept. 30,

which also will serve as the Chargers’ home opener...

It was Wilson, which scored a surprising 64-34 win in Long Beach last

year that started Edison on its seven-game slide...

What could have been: In three games, Edison’s speedy all-purpose

player Jimmy Thorson has had a 63-yard punt return and 96-yard kickoff

return (both for touchdowns) called back due to penalties. Had they

counted, both returns would have been new school records. The senior

receiver/defensive back/punt and kick returner, however, had six

receptions total 161 yards in last week’s win at Capistrano Valley...

Twin Peaks: The Kruger Twins, Justin and Nicholas, both came up with

big defensive plays during Ocean View’s 46-20 win over Garden Grove last

week. First, Justin scooped up an errant Argonaut pitch and returned it

25 yards for a touchdown. Not to be outdone, Nicholas came up with an

interception on Garden Grove’s next possession. Although he didn’t score

on the theft, he did match his brother with a 25-yard return of his own,

and on the very next play, the Seahawks scored on a 52-yard pass play...

Ocean View quarterback Deshai Houston followed up a six-touchdown,

376-yard season opening passing game with a 254-yard, 4-TD effort against

Garden Grove. But that wasn’t all for the senior, who also rushed 29

yards for another score and also had a 27-yard interception return go for

a touchdown.