Openers are a success

Edison and Fountain Valley got early starts and opened with impressive wins over Artesia and Foothill. But, for the rest of the area high school football teams, Week Zero was a time for scrimmages and getting ready for a long regular season.

This week, all seven area teams get down to game action.

Marina plays its first game on a renovated Boswell Field tonight, and Huntington Beach celebrates the grand opening of renovated Cap Sheue Field on Friday. Meanwhile, Fountain Valley will tangle with Tesoro in a battle of standout Orange County teams.

Here’s a look at the games:

TONIGHT

Edison (1-0) vs. Long Beach Wilson (1-0), 7 p.m., at Huntington Beach High: Both teams had a relatively easy go in their Week Zero openers. The Chargers, ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division poll, blanked Artesia, 36-0, while Wilson got past Huntington Park, 49-6.

Edison Coach Dave White said his team looks forward to a bigger challenge against Wilson and senior receiver/defensive back Ezell Ruffin. Ruffin scored four touchdowns against Huntington Park, including two catches, plus interception and punt returns for scores. A fifth touchdown was called back.

“They’re very good,” White said. “They have a lot of size, a lot of speed. We’re excited. We need to see where we’re at.”

In Edison’s shutout victory over Artesia, senior running backs Wade Houston and Jonathan Cross, as well as junior Davion Orphey, all scored rushing touchdowns. Senior Michael Rivera scored on a 57-yard reverse, and backup quarterback Steven Andrew threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior Jeff Trojan.

The Chargers scored 30 points in the second quarter to break a scoreless tie.

Marina vs. Capistrano Valley, 7 p.m., at Westminster High: The Vikings open against another team from a tough league hoping for improvement. The Cougars topped Marina, 23-14, to open last season but lost their last four South Costa League games.

Marina is coming off a productive scrimmage at Valencia where the defense played particularly strong, Coach Dan Petrone said. The Vikings will have to contend against a Capo Valley team with a lot of seniors and returning starters.

“Capo and ourselves, we’ve been in a tough position in our leagues,” Petrone said. “But they’re going to be tough. They’re always a tough opponent.”

FRIDAY

Fountain Valley (1-0) vs. Tesoro (0-1), 7 p.m., at Orange Coast College: The Barons opened some eyes around the county with their 44-21 beating of Foothill last week. And it wasn’t even senior standout running back Kyle Middlebrooks who did it. He scored on a 70-yard touchdown run, but it was senior quarterback Dominic Ragland who threw for 234 yards and four touchdown passes and looks to have improved significantly.

One of the scores went to Middlebrooks, and three to senior Ryan Steadman.

“[Ragland] has to make some plays with his arm, and he did,” Fountain Valley Coach John Shipp said.

“The offensive line stepped up in the pass [protection], but it’s great to see a kid like that work that hard in the off-season to make himself the total player.”

Tesoro, which fell to Mission Hills, 13-10, in its opener, advanced to the Pac-5 Division championship game last season. The Titans lost some key pieces from that team, but they’re still ranked No. 10 in the Pac-5 Division.

JSerra (1-0) at Huntington Beach, 7:30 p.m.: The game is later because the Oilers have their stadium grand opening prior to the contest. They hope it’s a successful one against JSerra, which topped Palos Verdes, 27-7, in its opener.

“They’re a well-coached team,” Oilers Coach Eric Lo said. “They’ve got an athletic quarterback and very good running back who put some pressure on you.”

Calvary Chapel (1-0) at Ocean View, 7 p.m.: The Seahawks are a bit banged up already, as Coach Harold Eggers said Kody Afusia — a standout senior lineman — didn’t play in last week’s scrimmage against Santiago. Senior Charlie Webb, another lineman, is also banged up.

Still, he said some younger players stepped up in the scrimmage, like sophomore linebacker Timmy Robinson and Eric Hernandez.

“For the most part, I was pretty pleased about how the young kids responded,” Eggers said.

Calvary Chapel opened its season with a 44-0 shutout of Crean Lutheran South.

Norwalk (1-0) at Los Amigos, 7 p.m.: Norwalk, which defeated South El Monte, 63-3, in its season opener, is a tough opponent for the Lobos to start with. The Lancers made it to the CIF Southern Section Southern Division semifinals a year ago, before losing to eventual champion Laguna Hills. They’re currently ranked No. 2 in the division.

Norwalk defeated Los Amigos, 58-14, last year.

SATURDAY

Brethren Christian vs. Bloomington Christian, 7 p.m., at Colton High: The Warriors make the long drive to the Inland Empire to tangle with the Ravens. The teams didn’t play last year, when Bloomington Christian went 4-6 and failed to make the playoffs.

Week Zero Top Performers

Passing

 Dominic Ragland, Fountain Valley — 234 yards, 4 TDs.

Rushing

 Kyle Middlebrooks, Fountain Valley — 97 yards, 1 TD.

Receiving

 Ryan Steadman, Fountain Valley — 142 yards, 3 TDs.