Vikings looking for encore

What type of encore do the Marina Vikings have up their sleeves for

tonight’s important Sunset League football battle against Fountain

Valley?

Will the Vikings come at the Barons with a newfound swagger, the one

they have earned following last week’s inspiring and surprising 35-14 win

over Esperanza? Or, will they come out flat in their attempt to beat the

Barons for the second time in three years?

Their psyche will say a lot about theair chances of achieving success

tonight in a series Fountain Valley has dominated.

In a strange twist to its rivalry with Esperanza, Marina (3-5, 1-2)

dominated the Aztecs from start to finish last Friday as they posted

their first win in the series since Esperanza joined the league in 1994.

They did it, too, with a rushing game that featured 211 yards and two touchdowns by Turill Engelman and a terrific effort by senior quarterback

Tom Ansel, who had 128 yards on 10 carries and scored twice himself.

Fountain Valley (6-1-1, 1-1-1) is just one half game out of first

place following last week’s 41-21 win over Huntington Beach. The Barons

erupted for 27 second half points to break away from a 14-14 halftime

tie. Camron Carmona, who rushed for 128 yards, scored in the third period

to give the Barons the lead for good and Todd Crabtree threw touchdown

passes to Jeff Ault and Joey Flores, the latter of which covered 56

yards. Kjell Johnson also scored on two touchdown runs. Last year’s

score: Fountain Valley 38, Marina 7.

Barons-Vikings Series Results

’74 - Barons 29, Vikings 8

’75 - Barons 21, Vikings 0

’76 - Barons 51, Vikings 0

’77 - Barons 48, Vikings 21

’78 - Barons 23, Vikings 14

’79 - Vikings 21, Barons 12

’80 - Barons 22, Vikings 21

’81 - Vikings 20, Barons 3

’82 - Barons 17, Vikings 14

’83 - Vikings 15, Barons 10

’84 - Barons 31, Vikings 21

’85 - Vikings 35, Barons 0

’86 - Vikings 14, Barons 6

’87 - Barons 20, Vikings 14

’88 - Barons 36, Vikings 20

’89 - Barons 21, Vikings 18

’90 - Barons 22, Vikings 21

’91 - Vikings 14, Barons 7

’92 - Vikings 14, Barons 14

’93 - Barons 41, Vikings 7

’94 - Barons 31, Vikings 8

’95 - Barons 46, Vikings 26

’96 - Barons 42, Vikings 14

’97 - Barons 26, Vikings 0

’98 - Barons 31, Vikings 14

’99 - Vikings 20, Barons 3

’00 - Barons 38, Vikings 7

(Fountain Valley leads, 19-7-1)

Friday’s games:

Edison (6-0-1, 2-0-1) vs. Esperanza (4-3-1, 1-1-1)

(at Valencia High, 7 p.m.)

This game determined the Sunset League champion in 2001. It will go a

long way in saying which team will reign in 2002. Since opening league

play three weeks ago with a win over Huntington Beach, Esperanza has tied

Fountain Valley and was upset by Marina. The Aztecs were held to 14

points during last week’s 21-point loss to Marina. Still, they feature a

dangerous running back in Shaun Wildenstein, who rushed for 156 yards

against Marina. The Esperanza game, always a stiff challenge for Edison,

is part of a tough three week finish to the regular season for the

Chargers. Last week, they tied 14-14 against Los Alamitos. Next week,

archrival Fountain Valley awaits. But for now, they’ll be looking to beat

Esperanza for just the second time in the eight meetings the schools have

had. Last year’s score: Esperanza 49, Edison 43.

Chargers-Aztecs Series Results:

’94 - Aztecs 26, Chargers 16

’95 - Aztecs 17, Chargers 10

’96 - Aztecs 17, Chargers 6

’97 - Aztecs 27, Chargers 26

’98 - Aztecs 52, Chargers 35

’99 - Chargers 41, Aztecs 34

’00 - Aztecs 49, Chargers 43

(Esperanza leads, 6-1)

Westminster (3-5, 2-0) vs. Ocean View (2-5-1, 1-0-1)

(at Huntington Beach High, 7 p.m.)

There is plenty riding on the outcome of this important Golden West

League game, namely, first place. Ocean View, however, is limping into

this one following last week’s 56-0 nonleague loss to Pacifica, a game in

which the Seahawks surrendered nearly 600 yards of offense. They will be

facing a Westminster team that already has defeated preseason league

favorite Tustin, which had not lost a league game since 1998 and is the

four-time defending champion. The Lions received two passing touchdowns

from Fidel Gonzalez and two rushing scores from Jared Jenkins during last

week’s 33-14 win over Saddleback. Last year’s score: Westminster 29,

Ocean View 14.

Saturday’s game:

Los Alamitos (5-2-1) vs. Huntington Beach (2-6, 0-3)

(at Huntington Beach High, 7 p.m.)

Things don’t get any easier for Huntington Beach, which already has

faced Esperanza, Edison and Fountain Valley to start league play. The

Oilers, defensive-minded in years past, have given up 163 points in those

three losses, an amazing average of 54 points per league game. On

offense, they have averaged 15 points. Los Al, which tied Edison last

week, is coming in averaging 25 points on offense. Last year’s score: Los

Alamitos 21, Huntington Beach 9.