HUNTINGTON BEACH – For the first few minutes Friday night, unbeaten Calvary Chapel and once-beaten Ocean View were like heavyweight boxers, each landing a jarring blow.
But behind Colin Wiles, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth score, the Eagles slugged their way to a 43-21 victory and sole possession of first place in the Sigma League.
Wiles and Chaz White connected on a 66-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline with 5:44 left in the first quarter for the Eagles (8-0, 3-0).
The Seahawks (7-2, 2-1) countered two minutes later with a 64-yard strike from Dean Northam to Devyn Jenkins for a 7-7 tie with 3:13 left in the first quarter.
Wiles completed 12 of 23 passes for 187 yards in the face of fierce pressure from the Seahawks defense.
“I can’t do anything without these guys,” Wiles said. “I’ve got to give credit to my (offensive) line. These guys blitzed eight the entire game. I got hit but it’s the game of football and it’s fun, and my receivers make plays.”
Ocean View took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter when Northam connected with Zack Zentgraf for a 34-yard touchdown on fourth-and-6 89 seconds into the second quarter.
But when Jett Rauch recovered a bad snap by Ocean View at the Seahawks 7, Wiles scored on 7-run on the next play for a 14-14 tie.
Calvary Chapel regained the lead for good when Wiles finished a penalty-plagued 52-yard drive with an 11-yard scoring pass to Noah Barthel with 14 seconds left in the half.
The drive was marred by two holding penalties – one on each team – and a defensive pass interference call.
Wiles landed another gut punch with a 36-yard scoring strike to Barthel.
The Seahawks defense gambled and won when it came to stopping Waldo Casterjon, the Eagles’ leading rusher, holding him to six yards on his first 12 carries. But he started and ended the Eagles’ final possession with a 51-yard run – he had 66 yards on 15 carries – and ended it with a 9-yard TD run.
He also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jorge Brito in the third quarter.
It’s already been quite a journey for Wiles. The sophomore was the JV starter as a freshman and has assumed his role this season.
“I’m not the fastest or the most athletic, so I try to break them down with my mind and how I can read a defense,” he said. “It feels good as a sophomore that they gave me this opportunity.”
The game was a matchup of sophomore quarterbacks. Northam, Wiles’ counterpart, struggled, completing 7 of 18 passes for 187 yards. He was intercepted twice and a half-dozen passes were dropped. He threw three touchdowns.
