Patrick Harrigan

What might Patrick Harrigan have in store for an encore?

When Huntington Beach High took on Los Amigos in the Sept. 12

season opener for both teams, Harrigan, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior

running back, ran roughshod over the Lobos, gaining 268 yards while

scoring five touchdowns.

Possessing one of the top rushing efforts in the school’s history,

Harrigan could have rested on those laurels after that 35-29 win. But

a week later, Charter Oak held him in check by limiting him to just

52 yards on 20 carries.

Harrigan, however, showed his resolve and bounced back last

Friday, coming up with a new personal best.

During Friday’s 36-7 rout of Capistrano Valley, Harrigan, the

Independent’s Player of the Week, shredded the Cougars’ defense for

306 yards.

He did it on 32 rushing attempts, which included touchdown runs of

six, 66, 44 and 49 yards.

His 268-yard game on Sept. 12 still stood as a county best heading

into last week’s play, the third week of the season.

He eclipsed that mark by 38 yards and is, once again, the county

single game rushing leader for the season at 306 yards.

Harrigan now has 626 yards and a 208.6 yards per game average

through three games.

“He got back on track after that Charter Oak game,” Huntington

Beach Coach Mike Groscost said, who added that the 306-yard game may

be a new single-game record for the school.

“He’s running great. Patrick’s our go-to guy and he really wants

the ball. He’s already a marked running back but he still does a

tremendous job. A lot of credit goes to our offensive line, too.”