HUNTINGTON BEACH – Ocean View gave its fans a homecoming show Friday night with a 34-0 win over Orange in a Golden West League game.
It was the Seahawks’ first league victory. The Panthers (3-5, 0-2) are still looking for their first league win.
Three first-quarter turnovers by the Panthers resulted in three touchdowns for the Seahawks. Orange lost a fumble on the second play from scrimmage, giving the Ocean View (4-4, 1-1) excellent field position. The ensuing 35-yard drive ended in a 6-yard touchdown run by senior Alejandro Valdez.
On the next drive, the Panthers lost another fumble. Seahawk junior safety Chase Foreman recovered the ball.
However, Panthers linebacker Andrew Martinez got the ball right back with an interception on the following play. The Orange offense failed to capitalize, going three-and-out.
That’s when the Seahawks, specifically junior Xavier Salgado, took over.
Senior quarterback Blake Meyer connected with Salgado in the end zone on a 28-yard touchdown pass, putting Ocean View up 14-0. Three plays later, Salgado extended that lead to 21-0 by intercepting a screen pass and returning it 25 yards for the score.
In the second quarter, Salgado recovered a fumble and Panthers senior safety Nick Vargas intercepted a pass.
The Panthers never committed to the passing game, completing no passes on four attempts with one interception. They ran for 105 yards on 37 carries, an average of 2.8 per carry. Ocean View averaged 4.3 yards per rush.
Meyer finished the night 5-of-12 for 60 yards with two passing touchdowns, two interceptions and one rushing touchdown.
