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Scoreboards only tell partial stories on most Friday nights during the high school football season.
Sometimes, they share even less if their mesmerizing lights aren’t working as Fountain Valley and Valencia experienced at Westminster High last week.
But the tale of the Barons’ season-opening 14-6 triumph — their first under new Coach David Gutierrez — started during the frantic, 2 1/2 weeks leading up to the game and serve as a reminder of the importance of setting a culture no matter the obstacles.
Gutierrez was hired during the last week of July, just a few days before the start of fall practice on Aug. 2. While already an on-campus teacher, he was set to return to Servite as a special teams and linebackers coach, but he took the reins at Fountain Valley after the surprising resignation of Chris Anderson.
The prep time for the Barons’ season-opening game also shrank after COVID-19 concerns halted practices for two days.
Yet despite the time crunch, Gutierrez didn’t compromise his goal of establishing four essential characteristics for players to embody: “Blue Pride,” courage, faith and playing physical.
“I couldn’t look past it,” he said. “For me, it was just laying our foundation.”
Gutierrez started his coaching career at Fountain Valley as an assistant in 2010 under John Shipp. He knows the program’s rich tradition — two CIF-SS titles, years of Division 1 competition — but had seen the toll of having four coaches come and go since Shipp departed after the 2013 season.
He stressed the significance of Blue Pride, which for the players means loving their community. The players were challenged to show courage in practice when presented with difficult situations. They were asked to have faith in their teammates and coaches. And they were tasked to play physical to represent the blue-collar side of their community.
Gutierrez said he and his coaches still devoted plenty of time to the fundamentals and schemes but the pillars were a must.
“The best thing that happened when I came in was how the players responded,” he said. “They were just excited.”
It showed against Valencia.
Game captain Tyler Nowicki caught a long touchdown in the first half from Owen Tomko and played safety. Drew Reyes, another captain, also made a key reception. Game captains Ivan Benitez and Wasseem Homsi played well on the lines.
Junior linebacker/fullback Caine Elroy led the defense with 12 total tackles, one sack and a tackle for loss. Ben Pham rushed for a TD and played defense while linebacker Jacob Stinnett finished second to Elroy in tackles.
Fountain Valley, which went 0-6 in the spring, snapped an 11-game losing streak overall despite playing without standout linebacker Nicolas Mendez (ankle).
Gutierrez started Friday by practicing what he preaches to his players. He connected with the Barons’ tradition, having breakfast with two alumni he counts as mentors: Kelly Talavou, now an assistant at Servite, and Steve Fifita, an assistant at Mater Dei.
Gutierrez also credits Shipp, Santa Ana coach Charlie TeGantvoort and Servite coach Troy Thomas as mentors. He added that he has learned a lot since going 0-10 in his one season as Costa Mesa’s coach in 2018.
“It’s coming around full-circle for me,” Gutierrez said. “I knew this was a special community.”
Fountain Valley plays host to El Dorado (1-0) at Ocean View on Friday.
QUICK HITS
Kennedy wide receiver Hunter Benton set the school record for receptions in a game with 18 in a 47-46 loss to Long Beach Jordan in overtime. The senior broke Tanner Elliott’s 2013 record of 13. Benton finished with 227 yards receiving, four touchdowns, a 2-point conversion and one sack. …
Foothill senior wide receiver Austin Overn made quite a return with four catches for 219 yards and three scores in a 40-33 victory against Cypress. He played football as a freshman and then focused on baseball. Overn, a speedy center fielder, is committed to USC for baseball. “Will be a huge asset for us,” said Foothill coach Doug Case, who called his wide receiver corp his best since taking the reins in 2000. …
Katella junior Gabriel Dawson delivered on both sides of the ball in a 21-10 victory against Laguna Hills. He rushed for 211 yards and three scores and recorded seven tackles, an interception and pass breakup. ..
Pacifica junior Edward “Jun” Ramos rushed for 211 yards, including four TDs, in a 48-14 victory against Fullerton.