Impressive comeback

Mike Sciacca

For a little more than two quarters of last Friday’s football game

between Huntington Beach and Los Amigos at Sheue Field, it was

anything but the season opener that the host Oilers had hoped for.

If trailing 14-0 at the half wasn’t bad enough, Huntington found

itself in a deeper hole when Los Amigos scored just five plays into

the second half for a 21-0 lead.

But, instead of folding, the Oilers staged an incredible comeback.

With its defense stepping up and providing its offense with scoring

opportunities, Huntington rallied for a 21-21 tie.

“We made a lot of mistakes in the first half, but our seniors took

charge after halftime,” Huntington coach Mike Groscost said. “With

nine returning starters on defense, we feel that is our strength.

“It was our defense that really turned this game around and our

offense took advantage of what our defense set up. We’re very happy

with the comeback and you don’t see too many high school games where

a team comes from 21 points down.”

After an 81-yard scoring drive ended in a nine-yard run by Justin

Montes for Huntington’s first touchdown this year -- making it 21-7

-- the Oilers’ Mitchell Romer blocked a punt in the final minute of

the third quarter to set his team up at the Los Amigos 34-yard line.

Montes got his second touchdown run of the game, this one from 10

yards out, but it was Steve Sileski’s 25-yard run that kept the drive

alive.

The Oiler defense also had an interception and fumble recovery in

the game. The latter, coming early in the fourth quarter, set

Huntington up at its own 46-yard line. A 26-yard run by Romer was

followed by a 20-yard touchdown burst by Montes, who finished the

game with 100 yards on 19 carries.

But to get the tie at 21, Rosney Daniel had to hit a 36-yard

point-after attempt following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty

against the Oilers. Daniel delivered the ball through the uprights.

Groscost wanted to resolve the tie and play a California

tiebreaker, but he said Los Amigos Coach Roger Takahashi declined to

play to determine a winner.

Huntington will look to keep the momentum from that tie tonight

when it takes on Costa Mesa at 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High. The

Mustangs are coming off a 35-9 loss to Corona del Mar.

“They’ve had a couple of good seasons the last few years and I

think they will be a physical and tough opponent,” Groscost said of

the Mustangs. “This definitely will be a good test for us.”

Last year’s score: Costa Mesa 33, Huntington 16.

In other prep football games this weekend:

FRIDAY

Edison (2-0) vs. Capistrano Valley (1-0)

(at Capistrano Valley High, 7 p.m.)

Edison will be gunning to go 3-0 against a Capistrano Valley team

that opened the season with a win over one of the Chargers’ Sunset

League brethren.

Last week, the Cougars came away with an 18-6 win over host

Marina. They overcame a 6-0 first quarter deficit, thanks, largely,

to a strong defensive effort and a 162-yard rushing performance by

junior Kory Kemmerer.

Edison, meanwhile, also went on the defensive in a 28-13 win

against visiting San Clemente.

The Chargers forced four turnovers and scored 21 points off three

of them in a game in which they never trailed.

Dominique Vinson and Logan Galitski each had an interception that

set up a first half touchdowns and Justin Baca returned a fumble 18

yards for a third quarter score.

Edison’s defense recorded its first shutout of the 2003 season in

last year’s win over the Cougars.

Last year’s score: Edison 27, Capistrano Valley 0.

Marina (0-1) vs. Newport Harbor (1-0)

(at Newport Harbor High, 7 p.m.)

Like Capistrano Valley, Newport Harbor will be looking to get its

second win of the season against a Sunset League team.

In its opener last week against host Fountain Valley, the Sailors

rallied from a touchdown deficit to score a 20-7 victory.

Sailors quarterback Kasey Peters threw for 194 yards and a

touchdown and Alex Orth returned an interception 32 yards for another

score in the win.

Marina’s only touchdown in its season-opening loss to Capistrano

Valley came on a 100-yard interception return by Jason Hayward.

Last year’s score: Newport Harbor 10, Marina 6.

Ocean View (0-1) vs. Laguna Beach (1-1)

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

Ocean View gave up big play scores in a 48-21 opening loss to

Santiago and will look to rebound against a Laguna Beach squad coming

off its initial win.

The Seahawks were burned for two kickoff returns for touchdowns

and gave up four touchdown runs of 24 yards or more in their loss to

the Cavaliers, but did get 105 yards rushing from Aaron Valenzuela,

who also threw for 64 yards.

Ocean View will need to find a way to stop a Laguna Beach rushing

attack that ran for five touchdowns, including three by quarterback

Talan Torriero, in a 38-12 pasting of La Quinta.

Last year’s score: teams did not play.