WESTMINSTER – Patrick O’Brien needed minimal time to make a huge imprint Friday night, passing for three first-quarter touchdowns on six throws as San Juan Hills romped to a 51-6 victory over Marina at Westminster High.
O’Brien also rushed for touchdowns on both his carries before departing in the second quarter with the Stallions (4-0), ranked 10th in Orange County and eighth in the CIF Southern Section’s West Valley Division, ahead by 38 points. Marina is 1-3.
He completed five of six passes, all in the first quarter, for 147 yards to surge past the 1,000-yard mark this season – to 1,076 – while and matching his 12 TDs from last year.
San Juan Hills scored on six of seven first-half drives, four of them covering two or three plays and taking less than a minute, while gaining at least 10 yards on 14 and at least 20 on nine of 25 offensive plays.
Ryan Smith, Cole Suchesk and Jacob Huff caught scoring passes – Smith and Huff with no defenders anywhere near – and Brock Cazel returned an interception 30 yards for another score in the first quarter. Backup QB Brady Bjorkman completed all three of his passes and ran for 71 yards and the final tally.
Marina (1-3) marched to the Stallions 15 on the game’s opening drive, the keys plays a 46-yard Blaine Riederich run and a 12-yard Noah Holmes reception while smothered by two defenders, before it broke down and finished with a missed field goal.
The Vikings, down by 30, scored with two minutes to go in the first half on an 80-yard Anthony De La Torres-to-Javier Sanchez pass play.
Marina was without three offensive starters – All-Sunset League running back Cooper Malerstein and wide receiver Ethan Young with concussions, right tackle Kyle Tsu after sustaining a broken hand in practice Wednesday – and lost Riederich and Holmes to first-half injuries.
