Calvary Chapel takes control of Sigma League race with victory over Ocean View

Calvary Chapel Coach Jack McInally with players (from left) Chaz White, Jorge Brito and Colin Wiles. (PHOTOS: Jacob Ramos, For OC Sports Zone).

Maintaining a perfect record on the season and holding off a challenge for first place in the Sigma League, Calvary Chapel’s football team took down Ocean View 43-21 at Ocean View Friday.

The Eagles (8-0, 3-0) came back from an early 14-7 deficit to effectively stamp their ticket to the CIF playoffs and put themselves in prime position for a Sigma League title with only two games to go in the regular season. Doing so on the back of a gaudy offensive showing, Calvary Chapel showed why it has been the premier team in the Sigma League all season long.

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Starring for the Eagles on Friday was a multitude of skill players on offense. Calvary Chapel got the scoring started early against the Seahawks, with a 66-yard rush by Chaz White hitting pay dirt to give the Eagles an early lead. White’s touchdown was his only rush of the night, and his solo offensive contribution was a sign of how Calvary Chapel’s Coach Jack McInally would spread the ball out on Friday.

“We had some conversations this week [about distributing the load offensively] and I think they were all positive and I think we told [quarterback] Colin Wiles pregame that he had to be a maestro,” McInally said to OC Sports Zone. “He had to be the conductor and I think he did that.”

Ocean View then took the lead with a pair of long touchdowns, a 63-yard touchdown through the air by Devyn Jenkins and a 34-yard strike to Zack Zentgraf, respectively. but it was essentially all Calvary Chapel after the Seahawk scores. 

Ocean View would maintain a few possessions before the end of the first half, but turned the ball over and committed a myriad of penalties, allowing the Eagles to take a 21-14 lead by halftime. Calvary Chapel got a pair of short scores courtesy of a quarterback keeper by Wiles and a Noah Barthel 7- yard receiving touchdown in the red zone. 

“[Ocean View has] a young quarterback, but also their run game is really, really good. So I know when we could get them into passing situations, that that was a point of emphasis for us leading into the game,” McInally said about forcing errors against the Seahawks. “Getting that last touchdown from Noah Barthel, I mean, that was a heck of a catch, and then he got rocked and was able to finish the play.”

Wiles excelled through the air on Friday, recording 135 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Accompanying him was his top target Jorge Brito, who commanded 11 targets and gained 57 yards plus a touchdown via the pass.

“We have a good connection, we have a good friendship,” Brito said postgame about his quarterback. “I love the guy.”

On the ground, the Eagles were led by White and Waldo Castrejon, who combined for 146 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on Friday. In addition to his success as a runner, Castrejon recorded an interception in the final minutes of the victory.

Now, with a pair of wins, Calvary Chapel can lock up a Sigma League title. They turn the page to a Friday date with Rancho Alamitos at home to attempt to continue the program’s longest ever undefeated streak to open a season.

Despite the strong response to the early Eagles push, Ocean View (6-2, 2-1) fell flat in what Coach Daniel Hernandez called his team’s first true test against adversity since its Sept. 5 game against Buena Park.

“You just see things. With a young team, you know, it’s hard because they haven’t been through enough of these moments,” Hernandez said. “You got to be in as many moments as possible to grow.”

The growth will have to come soon for the Seahawks, who are currently in position for a CIF playoff berth despite the loss on Friday. 

Mistakes were aplenty on the Ocean View side of the ball, accompanied by more than 100 total yards of penalties on Friday and multiple costly turnovers that stalled out or ended drives entirely. 

“We gotta execute, can’t turn the ball over, can’t commit penalties,” Hernandez said when asked about how his team needs to perform headed into a potential playoff berth. “We did all three of those things tonight. No one’s successful, I don’t care how good your team is, if you do those three things.”

Starting a plethora of sophomores, including both his quarterback Dean Northam and running back Trevor Luapo, Hernandez understands a deep playoff run is only possible if his squad grows up quickly. The Seahawks played well at times on Friday, but especially without starting safety Chris Vincent, who was held out on a precautionary basis on Friday with an injury, the task was too tough for a young Ocean View squad.

Despite Zentgraf and Jenkins’ scores, the Seahawk offense bottomed out and routinely was rushed into either bad throws or unforced errors and penalties. 

Zentgraf was the story on offense for Ocean View on Friday, punching in two touchdowns despite coming off the bench as a running back behind Luapo. Zentgraf, also a sophomore, played an all-around role for the Seahawks against Calvary Chapel, recording 71 all-purpose yards on the night.

Ocean View will host Estancia next Friday with a chance to cement its CIF playoff odds with a victory over the league rival.