As Big As It Gets

You have to forgive the Ocean View High football program for not

knowing how to act in this, the 10th and final week of the regular

season.

Past Seahawk teams usually haven’t been in the hunt for a postseason CIF

playoff berth, and usually approach their final regular season game by

playing “for pride.”

Tonight, “pride” certainly will be at stake when the Seahawks entertain

the explosive Tustin Tillers at Huntington Beach’s Sheue Field but for

the first time, much more will be riding on the outcome of Ocean View’s

1999 regular season finale - a league championship.

Ocean View trails Tustin by one game in the Golden West League standings,

and a victory tonight would mean the Seahawks would share the title with

the Tillers.

But Ocean View and Tustin aren’t the only teams’ entertaining league

title hopes. Westminster, which beat Ocean View but lost to Tustin, can

earn a piece of the crown by beating visiting Saddleback tonight.

Both Ocean View and Tustin carry Division VI rankings into tonight’s

showdown. The Seahawks (7-2 overall, 2-1 in league) are rated ninth,

while the Tillers come in at No. 4.

“This is a big game for us, no doubt,” said Ocean View Coach Harold

Eggers, who has taken the Seahawks to within a game of a league

championship in just his second year.

Eggers’ first squad, the 1998 unit, was competitive, but ended up with a

3-7 record.

One of those losses was a 63-21 drilling by the Tillers.

“Our coaching staff has been working hard to instill a winning spirit in

this football program, and the kids have been working hard to reach this

point in the season,” Eggers said. “It’s going to take a while to reach

the level of some of these other schools like the Tustins, and what we’re

trying to teach our kids is that once you do reach that level, you want

to stay there on a consistent basis. That’s what makes a program

successful.”

Ocean View’s seven wins this season have equaled the school’s record for

most victories in a season, which was set in 1989 (7-4). By winning

tonight, the Seahawks not only will establish a new single-season record

for victories, but they’ll also captured the school’s first football

championship.

It won’t be easy tonight, however.

Tustin comes into tonight’s game sporting an overall record of just 6-3,

but it’s a deceiving mark. All three of the losses have come to Division

I schools (Servite, Bishop Amat, and Los Alamitos), and the Tillers were

competitive in each of the losses and came within a touchdown of both

Bishop Amat and Los Alamitos.

“They’re a very talented football team,” Eggers said of the Tillers.

“They’re extremely quick on offense and have a very solid defense. It’s

going to take our best effort of the season to beat them.”

Tustin’s strength on offense traditionally has been the run, and it’s no

exception in ’99.

Leading the way in the Tiller backfield is Branden Malcom, a 5-foot-9,

170 senior who has rushed for 1,215 yards and a 7.4 per carry average

this season. While Malcom, who ran for more than 1,600 yards last year,

is Tustin’s main threat, the Tillers also have a dangerous second man in

senior Mike Zill (6-0, 190), who also starts at linebacker.

Malcom has scored 18 touchdowns; Zill has reached paydirt nine times.

“We’re very aware of their talent in the backfield, and we’ll need to

contain those two guys if we hope to be successful,” Eggers said. “Our

defense has been playing much better these last two weeks, but it will

need to be at its best against Tustin.”

A high-scoring affair is in the making. Tustin comes into the game

averaging 35 points, while Ocean View comes into the contest with a

league-best 40 points per game average.

The Seahawks have scored no less than 28 points in a game this year.

Ocean View’s Deshai Houston is having a banner season, on both sides of

the ball.

Houston, in his first full season at quarterback, is one of the county’s

top passers with 2,158 yards, and has completed 50-percent of his passes

(147 of 289). His touchdown-to-interception ratio is a solid 32-8.

In addition, Houston, who also starts at defensive back, leads the

Seahawks with five interceptions.

Houston has two main targets in sophomore Patrick Campbell and senior

Luka Levu, but it’s Campbell, one of the county’s top statistical

leaders, who leads the Seahawks in receiving yardage with 597 (a 13.3

average).

Campbell sat out the Oct. 29 Westminster game due to an injury, but was

back in action last week against Santiago.

Junior running back Jason Rhoads has emerged to lead the way in the

Seahawk backfield, and enters the game with a 7.1 yards per carry

average.

“The kids are excited to be playing for a league title, but they have

been very business-like in their approach at practice this week,” Eggers

said. “This is a big, big game for us, and it’s a really exciting time

for the school.”