Skip to content
  • Trabuco Hills' cheer squad do a cheer during the game...

    Trabuco Hills' cheer squad do a cheer during the game at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Trabuco Hills' Elias Parker tackles Fountain Valley's Chad Olberding in...

    Trabuco Hills' Elias Parker tackles Fountain Valley's Chad Olberding in the first half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Trabuco Hills celebrates when officials rule Fountain Valley's Angel Hernandez...

    Trabuco Hills celebrates when officials rule Fountain Valley's Angel Hernandez reception out of bounds on fourth and long in the second half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Trabuco Hills had a last chance when Fountain Valley's Chad...

    Trabuco Hills had a last chance when Fountain Valley's Chad Olberding fumbled while being hit by Trabuco Hills' Colby Rooker on this play late in the second half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's Kent Swift makes a game saving tackle on...

    Fountain Valley's Kent Swift makes a game saving tackle on Trabuco Hills' tCampbell Conway late in the second half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's Jake Garrett can't make the play as Trabuco...

    Fountain Valley's Jake Garrett can't make the play as Trabuco Hills' Campbell Conway makes the reception in the second half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's Angel Hernandez pulls Trabuco Hills' Colby Rooker and...

    Fountain Valley's Angel Hernandez pulls Trabuco Hills' Colby Rooker and Trabuco Hills' Patrick Mcquitty along for a first down reception in the first half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's Chad Olberding scores the game winning touchdown in...

    Fountain Valley's Chad Olberding scores the game winning touchdown in the second half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's running back George Sykes heads for the end...

    Fountain Valley's running back George Sykes heads for the end zone for the first touchdown of the night in the first half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's band stands for the singing of the national...

    Fountain Valley's band stands for the singing of the national anthem before the game at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's Kishaun Sykes rounds the corner just ahead of...

    Fountain Valley's Kishaun Sykes rounds the corner just ahead of Trabuco Hills' Colby Rooker in the first half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's and Trabuco Hills' team captains meet for the...

    Fountain Valley's and Trabuco Hills' team captains meet for the coin toss under dramatic skies before the game at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Trabuco Hills' Chad Crosbie runs for a first down in...

    Trabuco Hills' Chad Crosbie runs for a first down in the first half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's ball boy, Noah Fifita, juggles a lot of...

    Fountain Valley's ball boy, Noah Fifita, juggles a lot of balls during the game at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's Chad Olberding gets hauled down by Trabuco Hills'...

    Fountain Valley's Chad Olberding gets hauled down by Trabuco Hills' Patrick Mcquitty in the first half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fans walk past Fountain Valley spirit poster before the game...

    Fans walk past Fountain Valley spirit poster before the game at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

  • Fountain Valley's running back George Sykes runs past Trabuco Hills'...

    Fountain Valley's running back George Sykes runs past Trabuco Hills' Carson Ballantyne and Russell Townsen for a first down in the first half at Huntington Beach High on Thursday.

of

Expand
Associate mug of Kenny Connolly, Anaheim reporter.

Date shot: 12/31/2012 . Photo by KATE LUCAS /  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

HUNTINGTON BEACH – The beauty of the option offense stems from its deceptive nature – forcing defenses to guess who’s carrying the ball and who’s carrying air.

While he made the right reads and got the ball to his running mates throughout the evening, there was no way Fountain Valley quarterback Chad Olberding was calling anyone else’s number in crunch time on Thursday night.

The Barons senior quarterback rushed for the go-ahead score with less than five minutes remaining in the contest, and iced the game minutes later with a third-and-long conversion, sealing Fountain Valley’s 31-24 win over Trabuco Hills at Huntington Beach High in a nonleague game.

Olberding finished with 167 yards rushing on 30 carries, scoring on runs of 6 and 15 yards for the Barons’ (1-2) first victory of the season.

“It’s good to get a win against a great program like Trabuco Hills,” Fountain Valley coach Ray Fenton said after the game. “We have a great group of kids. We really do. I brag about them all the time, and it’s evident tonight when we faced so much adversity.

“Even when we gave up the lead late in the game, they stayed after it.”

The Barons led by 13 points at two different points, with the second double-digit advantage coming after a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive opened the second half. Olberding’s 6-yard keeper put Fountain Valley ahead, 23-10.

Chad Crosbie’s 8-yard touchdown run minutes later combined with Campbell Conway’s 38-yard receiving touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter gave the Mustangs (0-3) their first lead of the game, 24-23.

As he had done throughout the night, Olberding guided the Barons offense on a 6-play, 70-yard scoring drive. After selling the handoff, the senior scampered 15 yards into the end zone for the decisive score, and the two-point conversion.

The Barons rushed for 446 yards and four touchdowns as a team, with junior Moe Falealii leading the pack with 179 yards.

Facing a third-and-7 with 1:01 left and the ball in his own territory, Olberding’s 11-yard gain for the first was enough to seal the deal for the host Barons.

Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com