HUNTINGTON BEACH – The scheduled 7 p.m. start time for Fountain Valley’s nonleague game against West Adams Prep of Los Angeles came and went Friday with no sign of any Panther players on the field and no sign of any West Adams fans in the visiting stands at Huntington Beach High.
The Barons, normally gearing up for kickoff, jogged off the field and into their locker room to play the waiting game rather than a football one.
The murmurs from the Fountain Valley fans grew anxious as 15 minutes passed before West Adams made its way through the gate opposite the home stands.
And what seemed like 15 minutes from the moment the first Panthers’ cleats touched the field, the game was over.
Fountain Valley pummeled West Adams, 55-12, behind four rushing touchdowns and a passing score from senior quarterback Chad Olberding.
Fountain Valley coach Ray Fenton said in all his years of coaching at the high school level, a team arriving after the start time was a first for him.
“It looked like they were going to be late, so we moved everything back,” Fenton said. “I was proud of our guys; they stayed focused and ready to go.”
Though the game started 30 minutes late, Fountain Valley (2-2) looked poised from the outset.
Olberding ran for two of his touchdowns in the first quarter, the first coming 54 seconds into the game and the second at the 6:57 mark, giving the Barons a 14-0 lead.
Fountain Valley (2-2) capped a 21-point first quarter with a 45-yard reverse pass from wide receiver Kent Swift to Angel Hernandez.
In the second quarter, Olberding added touchdown runs of 7 and 30 yards and a 17-yard TD pass to Moe Falealii to help the Barons to a 42-0 lead by the half.
“We don’t come into any game thinking we’re going to blow it out,” Olberding said. “We worked on running plays that haven’t worked so well this year and little things like that.”
Fountain Valley played its reserves in the second half and West Adams (0-4) took advantage, scoring all of its points in the third quarter.
