WESTMINSTER – Nick Chapman threw for five touchdowns, Remy Wasserbach totaled 136 yards and three scores on just nine offensive touches and Aliso Niguel pulled away in the second half Friday to a 45-28 nonleague triumph over Marina, spoiling Coach Jeff Turley’s debut.
Chapman completed 17 of 24 passes for 276 yards, including third-quarter scoring tosses to Wasserbach and Ian Robertson as the Wolverines took charge of what had been a tight game, twice opening 24-point leads at Westminster High.
Nolan Winks, who had thrown just 13 passes for 31 yards in his first two varsity seasons, completed 20 of 40 for 305 yards and ran for three TDs for the Vikings, who led for 5½ minutes of the first quarter and were within four – at 18-14 – after the quarterback’s 1-yard push 17 seconds before halftime.
Wasserbach scored on a screen pass on the second play from scrimmage, sprinting 70 yards up the left sideline. He later caught a 12-yard pass from Chapman on Aliso Niguel’s first drive of the third quarter, then took off on a 60-yard scoring jaunt from a wildcat formation for a 38-14 lead with 2:22 left in the third quarter. He finished with 83 yards on three rushes and caught six passes for 136 yards.
Marina was handicapped after two-way star Jacob Lopez exited just before halftime with an apparent concussion and was taken by his father to the hospital.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said Turley, who took charge of a Marina program that has won just 16 games in the past decade after 13 seasons as defensive coordinator at national powerhouse Long Beach Poly. “We’re not where I expected us to be.”
The Vikings answered Aliso Niguel’s first TD with a quick one of their own, with Winks trudging the final 15 yards on their fifth offensive play. It was set up by his 66-yard bomb up the right sideline to Javier Sanchez on third-and-7.
