Barons Start Strong Under Mitch Olson, Down Ocean View 24-7 (2025)

Huntington Beach – ‘Cap’ Sheue Field (HBHS)

Fountain Valley opened the Mitch Olson era with a gritty win, defeating Ocean View 24-7 on Thursday night at ‘Cap’ Sheue Field in a nonleague season opener.

The Barons overcame a sluggish start and a major time-of-possession disadvantage in the first half by capitalizing on big plays in all three phases of the game. Special teams swung momentum late in the second quarter when captain Jack Chavez blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt and Drake Robinson scooped the ball before racing 76 yards for a touchdown. That play gave Fountain Valley a 17-7 halftime lead despite running just 14 offensive snaps compared to Ocean View’s 32.

“Jack came around the edge and had a perfect block, and it just popped right off my chest,” Robinson said. “I had to break one tackle and celebrate with my teammates.”

Olson acknowledged the mixed bag in his coaching debut but praised the team’s toughness. “We did a lot of really good things tonight. We did a lot of really bad things tonight, but it’s the first game. When you are physical, you can clean up all the other stuff, so we’re pretty happy,” he said.

Raymond Dillon provided an early spark, scoring on an 11-yard run after a Seahawks fumble set up the Barons at short range. Dillon also delivered the key play on Fountain Valley’s longest drive of the night, taking a third-and-14 screen pass 49 yards to set up another score. Quarterback Isaac Combs capped that possession by faking a handoff and rolling right for a 9-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.

Ocean View relied heavily on senior running back Trevor Luapo, who carried 24 times for 125 yards and a touchdown. But two fumbles inside scoring range stalled the Seahawks’ chances. One came in the red zone during the second quarter, and the other on a long third-quarter drive when Tanner Barlow stripped the ball near the goal line and Munir Beshir recovered.

The Seahawks did find success in the air behind quarterback Dean Northam, who filled in after an injury to Kingston Stokley and threw for 138 yards. Christopher Vincent was his top target, hauling in seven catches for 73 yards.

Despite miscues, Ocean View showed progress after last year’s 49-6 loss to the Barons. “Am I happy with the effort? Yes,” head coach Daniel Hernandez said. “I wanted them to show effort and compete, and I thought we did both.”

Fountain Valley, now 1-0 under Olson, will host Esperanza this Friday, August 29.