BOTTOM LINE

He has been hobbled by a nagging injury for nearly a month, but the

setback hasn’t derailed the ambition or the drive of Huntington Beach

High running back Russ Oschman.

Oschman suffered a toe injury in the first quarter of a Sunset League

game against Edison on Oct. 13 and sat out the second half of that

contest. But he came back to play in the Oilers’ next three games.

“He was a step slower in the Fountain Valley and Esperanza games, but

began to get back into form last week against Marina,” Huntington Beach

coach Tony Ciarelli said of Oschman, who rushed for 124 yards against the

Vikings. “Russ is a tough player, and he’ll be ready to go against Los

Alamitos.”

Tonight, Oschman will play his final game as an Oiler at 7 p.m. at

Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, against the Griffins.

One of the county’s top rushers, Oschman needs just 44 yards to become

Huntington Beach High’s single-season rushing leader. Danny Thompson

currently holds the record: 1,501 yards, set in 1983.