DIVISION II : Carey Passes for 4 Touchdowns in 48-16 Los Alamitos Victory

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  Los Alamitos football Coach John Barnes joined the Griffin players in playing a little defense after a 48-16 victory over Fountain Valley in a Division II quarterfinal game Friday night.

The top-seeded Griffins played some defense in the second half, shutting out Fountain Valley.

Barnes did it after the game.

During the post-game congratulatory handshakes, a Fountain Valley assistant coach approached Barnes, apparently upset with the Tim Carey’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Robert Griggs that gave the Griffins a 48-16 lead with 5 minutes 22 seconds left in the game.

“Wasn’t 41 points enough, coach?” the coach asked Barnes.

But Barnes was quick to defend the score. They play came after late hits and a heated exchange between the teams and coaches, which resulted from offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on a fumble return by Jake Beeney.

“You can write whatever you want,” Barnes said. “If we were up 35-0 at halftime, it would have been different. But you have to play out there. We were up 20-16 at halftime, and you got to go out there and play.”

The Griffins (12-0) extended their winning streak to 19 games and advanced to the semifinals against Crescenta Valley, a 13-7 upset winner over fourth-seeded Newhall Hart.

Carey threw for four touchdowns Friday night, and his 213 yards passing moved him into fifth on the Orange County’s single-season passing yardage chart with 2,921 yards, and eighth in career yardage (5,424). Don Ruberio caught four passes for 55 yards, including touchdown catches of 15 and seven yards.

Marchant Wright rushed for 98 of his 101 yards in the second half as the Griffins outscored Fountain Valley, 28-0. He scored on touchdown runs of 10 and one yards.

The Griffins trailed, 16-13, with 2:15 left in the second quarter, but pulled ahead, 20-16, on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Carey to Ruberio with 1:40 left.

Los Alamitos wide receiver George Sagen caught only four passes for 28 yards and a touchdown.

But he added a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter, and a 31-yard run on a fake field goal that set up a 10-yard touchdown run by Wright that gave Los Alamitos a 34-16 lead with 3:34 left.

Los Alamitos led Fountain Valley, 20-16, at halftime despite only running 14 plays from scrimmage to Fountain Valley’s 47, and getting outgained, 227 yards to 110. Fountain Valley, behind Scott Bertoni’s 129 yards passing and Jeremy Nicholson’s 65 yards rushing, had the ball for 19 minutes 56 seconds to Los Alamitos’ 4:04.

“When we had the ball we did OK,” Barnes said. “But we didn’t have it much. Fountain Valley was physical. They came after us.”

Bertoni completed 15 of 32 passes for 220 yards, and Los Alamitos held Nicholson to only nine-yards rushing in the second half.

FV--Ziemke 4 pass from Bertoni (Gillis kick)

FV--FG Gillis 32

LA--Ruberio 15 pass from Carey (kick failed)

LA--Sagen 59 interception return (Kolasa kick)

FV--Gail 16 pass from Bertoni (kick failed)

LA--Ruberio 7 pass from Carey (Kolasa kick)

LA--Sagen 7 pass from Carey (Kolasa kick)

LA--Wright 10 run (Kolasa kick)

LA--Wright 1 run (Kolasa kick)

LA--Griggs 32 pass from Carey (Kolasa kick)

LEADING RUSHERS--LA: Wright 18-101; FV: Nicholson 21-74. LEADING PASSERS--LA: Carey 14-19-1, 213; FV: Bertoni 15-32-1, 220. LEADING RECEIVERS--LA: Ruberio 4-55; FV: Ziemke 4-60, Gail 4-68.

Attendance--3,000