VICTORY 63-17
Serra's Vander puts on scoring show
September 12, 2014 10:41 PM
STAFF WRITER
HUNTINGTON BEACH – Edward Vander’s first half helped deliver the knockout blow for the fourth-ranked JSerra football team.
Vander scored four touchdowns and rushed for 219 yards in the first half to help the Lions take control of Friday’s nonleague game en route to a 63-17 victory over Huntington Beach at Huntington Beach High.
JSerra (3-0), averaging 49 points a game this season, scored on five of its six possessions in the first half. Vander’s four touchdowns came on runs of 3, 3, 6 and 72 yards. The Lions led 42-3 at halftime.
“Overall, I thought it was a good showing,” JSerra coach Jim Hartigan said. “We’re going to need it next week when we play St. Bonaventure (of Ventura). I was looking for us to show some overall improvement and I saw it tonight.”
Vander, a Paramount transfer, added another touchdown in the third quarter against the Oilers (0-3). He would finish with 218 yards and five touchdowns. He carried the ball just two times in the second half.
“Last week, they really came after our run game and there wasn’t a lot there and we had to put the ball on the perimeter,” Hartigan said. “This week, we were hoping to get him going and we challenged him during the week.
Vander rushed for just 15 yards in last week’s victory over Chino Hills. He eclipsed that total on his first carry of the game Friday.
“He found some good holes (in the defense), got his shoulders square and ran tough and he was able to get the ball to out on the perimeter and down the sideline,” Hartigan said. “He’s a guy we’re going to need in the future. He’s a power back with speed.”
The Lions also scored two defensive touchdowns, with Sam Philippi returning an interception 40 yards for a score in the second quarter and Conor O’Brien returning a fumble 42 yards for another score in the third quarter.
“We pressured them (Huntington Beach) a little bit and sometimes when you pressure, good things happen,” Hartigan said. “Our guys played hard and had some opportunities with the fumble and interception.”
The Lions have won three straight against the Oilers.They defeated them, 49-31, last year and 20-13 in 2012.
Hunter Simmons had the Oilers’ first touchdown, a 3-yard run in the third.
The Lions will host St. Bonaventure next week at Saddleback College. The Oilers will host Moorpark.
Conor O'brien of JSerra ends a run for Huntington Beach's Chris Reene at Huntington Beach on Friday: Sports Photo : OC Varsity
Football: Oilers fall to 0-3 after 63-17 loss to JSerra
Huntington Beach can't stop Lions' explosive offense, which builds 42-3 first-half lead in nonleague game.
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Huntington Beach High's Nick Crabtree, center, carries the ball during the first half against JSerra. (Kevin Chang | HB Independent / September 13, 2014)
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First came Nevada Coronado. Then, San Clemente. Friday, it was the JSerra Lions.
Those were the three opponents who came for a visit to Cap Sheue Field to open the season for the Huntington Beach Oilers who, after three games, are still in search of their first victory.
Huntington slipped to 0-3 after JSerra ran out to a big lead, coasted throughout the nonleague contest and rolled to a 63-17 victory, the third in three starts for Coach Jim Hartigan's squad.
The Lions had too much firepower for the Oilers especially in the form of junior running back Edward Vander, who churned out five touchdown runs, three in the first quarter alone. The Lions rolled up a 21-0 lead, led 42-3 at the half and took a 56-10 lead into the fourth quarter where the game went to a running clock.
Huntington gave up the first three scores of the game. Last week, they were outscored, 30-0, in the second half after leading San Clemente at halftime and lost, 44-21.
Friday's setback had Oilers Coach Eric Lo at a loss for words.
"I have nothing to say," he simply said.
Before the game was three minutes old, Vander reached the end zone for the first time. His three-yard run with 2:33 gone in the first quarter capped an 80-yard scoring drive that needed only six plays. On JSerra's next possession, he scored again from three yards out to end a short drive that went five plays and 28 yards that was set up by a 55-yard punt return by Ethan Aguayo. Before the quarter was over, Vander scored untouched on a six-yard run with 2:20 to go.
The Lions scored three touchdowns in just 16 plays to take command.
Huntington got on the scoreboard when Maliek Miller kicked a 22-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the quarter.
"I thought we came out and played well, especially in the first half," Hartigan said. "We were able to run the ball well and passed well. Vander found some holes tonight. He squared his shoulders and ran north and south. Our defense pressured them a little bit, too."
JSerra also put up 21 points in the second quarter. Vander got his fourth TD on a nice, 72-yard run down the Huntington Beach sideline where he eluded the would-be tackle of Oilers cornerback John Martinez at the Huntington 35-yard line and raced to the end zone. Senior free safety Sam Philipi gave the Lions the first of two defensive touchdowns on the night by returning an interception of a Chad James pass 40 yards. Aguayo completed the first-half scoring when he hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Robinson.
Huntington took the second half kickoff and put together its most complete drive of the game. The Oilers composed a 14-play drive that covered 80 yards and ate up the first seven minutes of the third-quarter clock. They converted four third-down plays along the way, the final one coming on a three-yard scoring run by senior running back Hunter Simmons with 5:07 left in the quarter.
JSerra answered right back, going 80 yards in six plays capped by a three-yard scoring run by Vander who went in untouched. Two plays later, the Lions scored again when strong safety Conor O'Brien scooped up a fumble and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown to make it 56-10 with 2:25 left in the third quarter.
The five touchdowns Friday gives Vander seven TDs for the season.
Back-up quarterback Riley O'Brien scored JSerra's last touchdown on a 10-yard keeper with 7:19 left to play, and Huntington got its final score when James faked a handoff to running back Hunter Simmons and went untouched up the middle on a 13-yard keeper.
A highlight Friday for the Huntington Beach football program came at halftime when the school inducted Kai Ross into the Huntington Beach Oilers Football Hall of Fame.
Ross, who graduated last June, quarterbacked the Oilers to the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division championship last year, their first varsity title. He was presented his Hall of Fame plaque by Lo during a halftime ceremony.
Ross received a warm round of applause by those in attendance.
"It's an honor," he said. "We had an outstanding season last year and I'm glad the community thought enough of me to present me this honor. This is pretty great."
http://www.hbindependent.com/sports/tn-hbi-sp-0912-jserra-huntington-football-game-sto-20140912,0,5370108.story
