WESTMINSTER – Matt Dinh directed Westminster to a pair of first-quarter touchdowns after the opening drive fell apart inside Ocean View’s 10-yard line, but the Lions quickly found themselves in a real battle in Friday night’s Golden West League opener.
Michael Gurrola capped a 134-yard rushing performance with a late touchdown, and Westminster, ranked No. 5 in the CIF-SS Southern Division, earned a 21-14 victory over the visiting Seahawks.
Dinh ran for 105 yards and a touchdown and amassed nearly half his passing yardage on a 25-yard, fourth-down scoring toss to Antonio Olea as the Lions started fast, then struggled to build on their advantage because of turnovers, miscues and Ocean View’s fine defensive performance over the final three quarters.
Westminster (5-1 overall) turned the ball over on a bad snap at the Seahawks’ 9 on its first drive, watched a second-quarter scoring opportunity disappear with an end-zone interception and fumbled a punt return to give Ocean View (3-3) a chance to pull even before halftime. The Lions lost another chance on a bad snap at Ocean View’s 4-yard line in the third quarter, saw a fourth-quarter touchdown called back on a holding call and missed two field-goal attempts.
Gurrola’s 24-yard touchdown run with 4:59 left capped a nine-play, 77-yard drive, ending the frustration for Westminster.
Blake Meyer completed 18 of 36 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown as the Seahawks twice closed within seven points, the second time on Adel Holmes’ 3-yard run with 2:26 to play.
The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, but Ocean View stopped the Lions and got the ball back on its 19 with 26 seconds remaining and reached midfield as time expired.
Dinh hit Olea midway through the first quarter, then followed Jacob McGookin’s 29-yard run with an 18-yard sprint for a 14-0 lead with 1:43 left in the opening period.
Ocean View answered with a 67-yard touchdown drive, with Meyer running the final 7 yards after a pass-interference call in the end zone. The Seahawks reached Westminster’s 3 just before halftime, then turned the ball over on a bad snap.
