NEWPORT BEACH – Fountain Valley’s football team made the most of quarterback Chad Olberding’s strong performance Thursday en route to a 51-20 victory over Newport Harbor in the teams’ Sunset League opener.
Olberding finished with 288 total yards, 253 of them on the ground, and five touchdowns for the visiting Barons (4-2, 1-0), who have won four in a row.
The Sailors had no answer for the senior quarterback, nor the rest of the Barons rushing attack, which totaled 394 yards on the ground.
Olberding scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, and running back George Sykes also found the end zone in the opening quarter, giving the Barons a 20-0 lead.
Newport Harbor (2-4, 0-1) battled back in the second quarter. Jamie Mcneil scored on a fullback dive to cut the Barons’ lead to 13.
Sailors quarterback Michael Bonds found Kobe Benter in the back of the end zone to narrow the lead to six.
The rally was short-lived, however, as Olberding hit Moe Falealii for his only touchdown pass, extending the Barons’ lead to 27-14 going into halftime.
The Barons running game wore out the Newport defense in the second half. Olberding scored on a quarterback sneak and kicker Ben Filipek made a 29-yard field goal.
Olberding scored on a 50-yard run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to make it 44-14.
The Barons defense, led by Sam Asuega and Keiti Iakopo, held Newport to just 77 yards on the ground, 58 of which came in the last series of the game.
