PREP FOOTBALL : Westminster Takes Care of Huntington Beach, 26-19

Westminster High School broke open a close game with 10 points in the third quarter and went on to defeat Huntington Beach, 26-19, Thursday night in a Sunset League game at Huntington Beach.

The Lions led, 16-12, at halftime and increased that led on a 30-yard field goal by Ryan Pence. Osavale Fiaseu scored on a 1-yard run and Pence’s extra point gave Westminster (4-5, 3-1) a 26-12 lead.

Huntington Beach (2-7, 1-3) pulled to within 26-19 when Chris Will threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Doug Cunningham late in the third quarter. However, Westminster’s defense shut out the Oilers in the fourth quarter.

A first-quarter safety gave Westminster a 2-0 lead. The Lions increased it to 9-0 when Bob Elliott threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Daryl Stagell.

Huntington Beach closed the gap on an 80-yard run by Kevin Dickey in the second quarter. But Westminster went ahead, 16-6, when Ray Vannatta returned a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown.

Huntington Beach pulled within 16-12 on a 28-yard run by Cunningham.