Ocean View football takes first loss against Gahr

After its first two games, the Ocean View High football team had as many victories as it had all of last season.

The Seahawks’ latest result could be an early fork in the road for them, and their new head coach is eager to see how they respond to a bit of adversity on the field.

Kalen Montgomery had 187 total yards and two touchdowns, as Cerritos Gahr handed visiting Ocean View a 43-7 defeat on Friday night in a nonleague game.

Ocean View’s Angel Adame (22) tries to run through Gahr’s defense on Friday.

(James Carbone)

“You’re really never judged by how good you are on your best day,” Ocean View coach Daniel Hernandez said. “You’re judged by how good you are after your worst day. I think the kids played as hard as they could. We have to clean some stuff up.”

Ocean View (2-1), which opened with multi-score wins against Nuevo Nuview Bridge and Anaheim, will now look to bounce back with home games upcoming against Lakewood Artesia and Bolsa Grande.

“That was a good test for us because that team has a lot of speed and they’re very well coached,” Hernandez added. “I think personally that this will help us in the long run because had we gotten through a game tonight and won, and let’s say we don’t face anybody on the schedule we feel is a big test or we run the table, we’re not going to be prepared for our league.”

Ocean View’s first-year head coach Daniel Hernandez coaches his team against Gahr on Friday.

(James Carbone)

Possession favored the Seahawks early in the contest, aided by a couple of breaks. The Gladiators were called for roughing the punter, and when a Gahr special teams player touched another punt near the goal line, Josh Crain recovered the ball. Three plays later, Angel Adame took the ball in from two yards out for the tying score.

Gahr (2-0) struck first, as Markell Slaughter turned a swing pass from Frank Williams into a 62-yard touchdown on the Gladiators’ first play from scrimmage.

Montgomery, who finished with 153 rushing yards, scored both of his rushing touchdowns before the half, giving Gahr a 21-7 lead heading into the break.

“We have a young group of linemen, but they’re learning,” Montgomery said. “I feel like the run game is being established. I think what will take us to the next level is as soon as we get the pass game going, then with the run game, we’ll be unstoppable.”

Gahr had a decent effort in the passing game against Ocean View. Williams threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns, the scores going to Evan Spurlin-Renfroe, Noah Taylor and Slaughter.

The Gladiators have won five games in a row going back to last season. They lost their first seven games last year.

Ocean View’s Josh Crain (9) recovers a punt touched by a Gahr player in a nonleauge football game on Friday.

(James Carbone)

“Last year, we started off really slow,” Gahr coach Greg Marshall said. “We were young, but we got it together at the end of the year. Now, all those kids came back. … That’s why we’re pretty good early. We have Kalen, who we can depend on, and our secondary’s pretty good.”

Jacob Sikma and Gabriel Mariscal-Isleib recorded interceptions for Gahr defensively.

Adame accumulated 67 rushing yards on 21 carries. Frankie Armenta recorded an interception on defense, and Samuel Cabrera blocked two extra-point attempts for the Seahawks.

“We asked him to sell out, and he took two big ones, one in the chest and one in the lower abdomen,” Hernandez said of Cabrera’s standout performance on special teams. “In the fourth quarter with four or five minutes left, a kid going to block a [point after touchdown], come one, that’s the epitome of what we want from our kids.”

Gahr 43, Ocean View 7

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Ocean View 7 - 0 - 0 - 0 — 7

Gahr 7 - 14 - 16 - 6 — 43

FIRST QUARTER

G — Slaughter 62 pass from Williams (Hernandez kick), 10:35.

OV — Adame 2 run (Salazar kick), 3:23.

SECOND QUARTER

G — Montgomery 17 run (Hernandez kick), 11:01.

G — Montgomery 1 run (Hernandez kick), 5:02.

THIRD QUARTER

G — Hernandez 31 FG, 8:46.

G — Spurlin-Renfroe 23 pass from Williams (Hernandez kick), 3:44.

G — Taylor 2 pass from Williams (Hernandez kick blocked), 0:12.

FOURTH QUARTER

G — Richburg 4 run (Hernandez kick blocked), 3:08.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

OV — Adame, 21-67, 1 TD.

G — Montgomery, 19-153, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

OV — Armenta, 2-12-2, 5.

G — Williams, 13-19-1, 192, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

OV — Caldwell, 1-8.

G — Slaughter, 4-105, 1 TD.