CERRITOS – If Friday night’s season opener was any indication of how Servite plans to move the ball under new coach Scott Meyer, future opponents might need to invest in some track shoes.
Tyler Lytle threw for 424 yards and two touchdowns and Aaron Simpson caught six passes for 235 yards and both scores as the Friars dismantled Fountain Valley, 45-7, at Cerritos College.
“Real happy with the win,” Meyer said. “There’s some first-game stuff we’ll have to clean up moving forward, but I’m real happy for our players and coaches to get this first win.”
Servite, ranked 11th in the Register’s preseason Top 25, picked up momentum on offense and stiffened on defense as the game wore on against No. 25 Fountain Valley, which has nine returning starters on offense.
The Friars took a 24-7 lead by halftime courtesy of two touchdown receptions by Simpson, a quarterback sneak for another score by Lytle and a 48-yard field goal by Asa Fuller with two seconds left before the break.
Things weren’t completely smooth for Servite during the first half, however. The punt return team committed a turnover after a bouncing ball caromed off a Servite blocker. The Friars also committed three penalties and were sacked during another four-play sequence that left them with fourth-and-35 from midfield.
Fountain Valley picked up a pair of first downs on the opening drive of the game, but a dropped pass wiped out that possession and Servite promptly scored on a 13-yard reception by Simpson, who caught just six passes for 66 yards as a junior last season.
Simpson’s 78-yard reception later in the opening quarter put the ball inside the 5-yard line, and Lytle scored on a 1-yard sneak on the first play of the second quarter. The Barons picked up their biggest play on the ensuing possession as quarterback Chad Olberding scrambled for 67 yards on third-and-15, and then hooked up with Traevon Davis for a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit in half at 14-7.
The Friars didn’t waste any time reestablishing a two-touchdown advantage as Lytle found Simpson down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown on the next play from scrimmage. Following the long field goal by Fuller, the Friars opened the second half with their best drive, marching 80 yards in nine plays and scoring on Jackson Taylor’s 5-yard run for a 31-7 lead.
