Marina football drops opener to Sunny Hills
WESTMINSTER — In his debut with his new team, Marina football coach Charlie TeGantvoort might have hoped for better results on the scoreboard.
Based on the effort he witnessed in the season opener on Friday night, TeGantvoort seemed sure those days would come for the Vikings.
Marina dropped the home contest to Sunny Hills 27-7 at Boswell Field, putting forth a competitive second half that gave the program something to build on.
“I thought we played much better in the second half,” said TeGantvoort, who previously coached at Santa Ana. “I think a lot of these new guys to varsity kind of got hit in the face a little bit, and they had to wake up a little bit and understand what varsity football is all about, but I’m proud of the way they stepped up that second half.
“They fought to the last minute, and that’s all we can ask. They were trying to tackle, they were trying to score, no matter what the score was until that very last minute, and as long as we keep building on character, the scores will come, and the wins will come.”
Junior quarterback Garrett Hunnicutt, a left-handed thrower, showed chemistry with senior wide receiver Ty Green. A 13-yard touchdown pass to Green, who came open over the middle, was the Vikings’ final offensive play of the game.
Senior running back Anthony Fabian had a 21-yard run to open the second half.
Turnovers derailed drives for the Vikings’ in the first half, during which they lost two fumbles. Hunnicutt was also intercepted on a drive that started at the Sunny Hills 36 yard line following a big punt return by Micah Rhoads in the second half.
Senior defensive lineman Bryson Owen recorded a sack for Marina, while junior defensive back Shayden Sorochman found himself around the ball a lot in the secondary. He appeared to be in on a field-goal block by the Vikings in the third quarter.
Sunny Hills stayed ahead of the sticks with an effective running game, leaving the Marina defense on the field for 34 of the 56 plays in the first half. The Lancers accrued 245 rushing yards by the break.
Johnny Ramirez, who was the fifth Lancer to get a carry in the contest, wound up rushing for a game-high 128 yards. His 13-yard scamper early in the second quarter sent Sunny Hills into the halftime locker room with a 20-0 lead.
Grant Rabe turned 11 carries into 114 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the third quarter. Starting running back Elias Vorathavorn also picked up 47 rushing yards before exiting in the first half.
William Brown got 16 touches — 13 of them in the second half — to see the Lancers through to the finish line. He had two goal-line runs for touchdowns.
“We got some young guys dinged up,” Sunny Hills coach David Wilde said. “We got to see if we can get them healthy for next week. … We just got to get guys in better condition. Guys were running out of gas and cramping up at the end, and we were really down to our last guy.
“William Brown, man, that guy, pulled groin, playing both ways, never played three back, just came in and just pounded the ball, kept the ball for us, and scored that touchdown to kind of seal it.”
Defensive end Larry Alvarez II was a standout for Sunny Hills, providing the Lancers with their lone sack and securing an interception while rushing the passer.
“Our defense, man, they were lights out,” Wilde added. “They just came out and scrapped all night.”
Marina remains at home to face Fountain Valley in a nonleague game on Friday, Aug. 25. The Barons edged Troy 49-46 on the road in their opener on Friday.
Nonleague
Sunny Hills 27, Marina 7
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Sunny Hills 13 - 7 - 0 - 7 — 27
Marina 0 - 0 - 0 - 7 — 7
FIRST QUARTER
SH — Brown 3 run (Miramontes kick failed), 4:12.
SH — Rabe 66 run (Miramontes kick), 2:04.
SECOND QUARTER
SH — Ramirez 13 run (Miramontes kick), 8:18.
THIRD QUARTER
None.
FOURTH QUARTER
SH — Brown 1 run (Miramontes kick), 7:57.
M — Green 13 pass from Hunnicutt (Scolfield kick), 4:55.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
SH — Ramirez, 17-128, 1 TD; Rabe, 11-114, 1 TD; Brown, 15-71, 2 TDs.
M — Fabian, 13-48.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
SH — Leasau, 1-5-0, 5.
M — Hunnicutt, 9-20-2, 100, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
SH — Brown, 1-5.
M — Green, 5-65, 1 TD.
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