Hickman, defense lead Ocean View to impressive win over Los Amigos

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Sept. 1, 2017 10:25 PM PT

Had it not been for the unfortunate collapse of Brethren Christian High’s football program, Ocean View might have a completely different look right now.

Instead, the Warriors’ loss was the Seahawks’ gain. Noah Hickman, a junior quarterback from Brethren Christian, transferred to Ocean View.

Seahawks coach Luis Nunez called Hickman’s presence an immediate upgrade over anything the team would have been working with otherwise, and it was easy to see why he was so excited in training camp.

Hickman and the defense starred in the Seahawks’ home opener as Ocean View shut out Los Amigos 42-0 on Friday night.

In his first varsity start, Hickman completed nine of 14 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He added seven carries for 57 yards and another score.

“Amazing,” Nunez said of Hickman’s Seahawks debut. “First varsity start. He was calm, collected, and managed the game well. He did a nice job with his reads. He did a great job leading the team today.”

Hickman’s first touchdown pass went to Naeco Logan on a middle slant from the right-side slot. That made it 14-0 Ocean View at the 9:42 mark of the second quarter.

Noah De Loera extended the lead to 21-0 with an 18-yard dash to the right pylon. It was his second score of the evening, as his 41-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of Ocean View’s second drive had opened the scoring.

De Loera ran nine times for 95 yards, with all of that production coming in the first half.

Hickman put the Seahawks up, 28-0, at halftime. He rolled out to the left on a fourth-and-goal scramble from the Lobos’ 7 and dove across the goal line with 16 seconds left in the half.

In the second half, Hickman added touchdown passes of 33 yards to Nathaniel Washington and 15 yards to Adam Meyer.

Upon being made aware of his coach’s praises, Hickman expressed his gratitude for being accepted as the new kid on the block.

“It means a lot,” Hickman said. “Being accepted here, being accepted into the family. I feel like I’m at home.”

Ocean View’s defense was locked in on the run after Lobos running back Brian Pacheco rushed for 236 yards and two touchdowns in Los Amigos’ opener against Fairmont Prep.

The Seahawks held the Lobos to a negative yardage total from scrimmage for the game. Pacheco had six carries for a loss of two yards.

Michael Leon carried the play on the defensive line. Cesar Montano and Andrew Helmer were also big factors.

“We came out here and showed what we got,” Leon said. “They thought it was going to be an easy win, but we showed them that we’re not an easy team no more.”

“We’re here now. We’re out for the wins.”

All week, Nunez told his team that he wanted to get even with a bad memory — “84-14.” That was the combined score of the Seahawks’ meetings with the Lobos in Nunez’s first two years as head coach.

“I told the kids all week that my first two years when we played Los Amigos, we could barely move the ball on them, so I challenged them.”

“It means a lot because it just shows how far our kids have come. Everybody really bought in, and as you can see, we returned the favor from my first year six years ago.”

Joseph Garcia was a bright spot for Los Amigos. He recorded all four of the Lobos’ sacks, while Saul Robles added two tackles for a loss.