Corona del Mar Edges Huntington Beach, 28-21

A fumble recovery by senior linebacker David Moore gave Corona del Mar the ball at their own 36-yard line with 5:28 left in a tie game.

Ten plays and 5:03 later, senior running back Erik Fisher plunged two yards for a touchdown that proved to be the difference in a 28-21 victory over Huntington Beach in a nonleague game Friday night at Sheue Field.

Huntington Beach (1-1) had taken a 21-14 lead with 7:00 left in the game after quarterback Michael Chislock ran 44 yards to the Sea Kings' two-yard line to set up the go-ahead score.

The Sea Kings started the ensuing drive at their own 15-yard line, but a pass interference penalty against the Oilers and a false start by the Sea Kings put them at their own 25. From there, senior quarterback Brett Lawson hit senior receiver Cole Cottrell in stride deep down the middle and Cottrell out-ran the defense for a 75-yard touchdown that tied the score at 21-21.

Lawson completed 14 of 24 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, and Cottrell had 123 yards receiving. Fisher had 93 yards and two touchdowns in 23 carries.

"We talked all week about how we’d have to play 48 minutes," Sea Kings' first-year coach Scott Meyers said. "It was going to be a battle with these guys, and it was 48 minutes."

Corona del Mar (2-0) had started slowly as Huntington Beach kept them off-balance for most of the first quarter and took an early 7-0 lead. But in the closing minutes of the quarter, the Sea Kings began to find their rhythm.

The first play of the second quarter was a 16-yard completion from Lawson to Cottrell on third-and-10 that moved the ball to the Oilers' 45-yard line.  A few plays later, Lawson hit Cottrell again for 12 yards down to the Oilers' 29. Lawson ran for seven yards to the Oilers' 22 and from there, Fisher took a draw handoff and broke 22 yards off right tackle for a touchdown that tied the score at 7-7.

The Sea Kings held the Oilers to three plays and a punt on the ensuing possession and then seemed to take control of the game. Corona del Mar went on an eight-play, 56-yard drive that culminated in Lawson lofting a ball down the sideline for junior receiver Troy Reese, who out-jump his defender for the ball in the end zone and a 14-7 lead.

Lawson had connected with Cottrell on a 12-yard pass that converted a key third down conversion on the drive. Lawson also ran for 12 yards to convert another third-and-eight.   

When asked about the game, a wildly excited Lawson began calling out the numbers and names of his offensive lineman and said that they had played their [tails] off. "I’m just stoked right now. I’m so excited," Lawson said before running off the field with his teammates.

The Sea Kings will play their home-opener on Thursday when they host Western High (2-0) at 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.