ANAHEIM — Ocean View football team took care of business by scoring in bunches in the first half en route to a 53-13 win over Katella on Thursday night at Glover Stadium.
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The Seahawks (8-1, 4-0) will face Rancho Alamitos (9-0, 4-0) in the regular-season finale on Friday, Oct. 30, with the outright Sigma League championship on the line.
Ocean View coach Daniel Hernandez emphasized what’s at stake next week.
“It’d be our team’s first outright league championships since the COVID season (2021) for coach (Luis) Nunez,” he said. “And it’d be only the second outright league championship in our history.”
“It would be a tremendous honor for our boys and our team,” he added. “Our junior class were league champions in the Sigma (League) their freshman year, two years ago. So it’d be their second league championship in their careers. It would be a culmination of a lot of hard work for us. Even if we fall short, it’s been such a great year but we look forward to what we do next week.”
The Seahawks wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard, as the county’s leading rusher, Trevor Vaivao, ran for a 64-yard touchdown on his first carry.
Vaivao also scored on an 80-yard run and finished with 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Ocean View’s defense got in on the action with a pair of pick-sixes by sophomore Elijah Stokley in the opening quarter.
Stokley now has six defensive scores this season, breaking a career school record (five) set by Travis Sparks-Jackson.
“Sky’s the limit for him,” Hernandez said of Stokley. “He continues to do a great job, running track, and some other things, which is great for him. And he’s a 3.6 GPA kid.”
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Gregory Gates added a pair of touchdowns on explosive plays, one on a 69-yard run. He caught a 45-yard pass from Isaac Young for the other score.
The Knights (3-6, 1-3), who were without their starting quarterback, Travis Camacho, and one of their best running backs, Jameson Martinez, scored a pair of touchdowns late in the second half.
The entire half was played with a running clock.
Leopoldo Carrera scored on a 7-yard run and David Garcia caught a 47-yard TD pass from Marquis Lowry.
Hernandez expects a battle next week with the Vaqueros, who earned a 10-7 win over Anaheim on Thursday night to stay unbeaten in league.
Hernandez said he has nothing but the utmost respect for Rancho Alamitos coach Mike Enright.
“People ask me about the playoffs. Man, I’m worried about Rancho next week,” Hernandez said. “Mike Enright is a 30-year veteran, coaching 26 years at Rancho. They’re good. He’s a phenomenal coach. We’re gonna have to really do our homework to be prepared for him.
“You know, and coach Enright will tell you something completely different, but no, man, that guy’s an Orange County legend for all he’s done for a long time. We’ll go home tonight, rest up, and we’ll get ready to work tomorrow.”
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