Vikings hold off Oilers

COSTA MESA — There wasn’t much suspense for the first three quarters of Thursday night’s matchup between Marina and Huntington Beach but the ending, well, it gave a whole new look to the game.

Marina bolted to a two-touchdown lead on the Oilers, increased the advantage to 21 points in the third quarter, but then watched Huntington storm back only to fall a yard shy of keeping alive a potential score-tying drive late in the game.

The Vikings hung on for a 21-14 nonleague victory at Orange Coast College.

It was the first meeting between the former Sunset League foes in three years. Marina chalked up its first win of the season in its homecoming game which also served as the Vikings’ home opener.

With the win, Marina now leads a series, 28-13-1, that dates to 1965. The Vikings also took back a perpetual trophy that goes to the winner of the game.

Huntington had held it since the 2005 season when the Oilers posted a 14-7 win over the Vikings.

Both teams are 1-2.

“This teaches you that it really isn’t over until those final seconds tick away,” Marina Coach Dan Petrone said in reference to a frantic ending. “Both teams fought hard and it was a great game.”

Marina took a 14-0 halftime lead on a pair of touchdown runs by Sam Wilson. The senior running back scored on an 18-yard run on Marina’s first offensive series in the game. In the second quarter, he took an inside hand-off eight yards to the end zone with 6:06 left in the half.

Wilson was a workhorse for the Vikings in the opening half. Of Marina’s 29 plays, Wilson’s number, No. 5, was called upon 21 times.

He finished the half with 156 yards.

“He’s a good young man and a good runner,” Petrone said. “We definitely wanted to establish the running game and Sam was doing such a great job that we just went with what was working. He had a great game.”

Marina appeared in complete control when it took the second half kickoff and used 11 plays to cover 75 yards for its third score. Again it was Wilson doing the honors, this time by bouncing off one of his own linemen and going eight yards for the touchdown. Chase Robinson’s third PAT of the game gave the Vikings a 21-0 lead with 7:08 left in the third quarter.

Huntington responded just two plays after Wilson’s third scoring run to get back into the game. On second down, quarterback Sean Guite hit Derrrick Romo 10 yards down field at the Oilers’ 35-yard line and Romo sprinted untouched the final 65 yards for the score. Eric Chan’s kick made it 21-7.

The Oilers used a bit of trickery on the ensuing kickoff, a successful onside kick that was recovered at the Marina 48-yard line by Dylan Simmons. Eleven plays later, running back Kendall Ivey stumbled into the end zone from a yard out. Chan followed with the conversion kick and Huntington suddenly found itself down only 21-14 with 1:33 left.

The Oilers were set in scoring position again midway through the fourth quarter when Wilson fumbled at his own 29-yard line. In six plays, they moved down to the four where they faced a fourth-and-one. On a direct handoff, Ivey was stuffed for a short loss by Cullen Hutchinson and Tyler Steen. Marina took over with 3:35 left and was able to run out the clock.

“We’re a competitive group and never out of any game,” Huntington Coach Eric Lo said. “We played a great second half, but we’re just disappointed that we couldn’t finish the comeback.”

MIKE SCIACCA covers sports. He can be reached at (714) 966-4611 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.