GAME RECAP: Oilers take the Season Opener Over the Panthers as Hatchette Earns his First Career Win

ORANGE, CA- On a hot and humid Thursday night at Fred Kelly Stadium, the Coach Matthew Hatchette era officially kicked off for Huntington Beach High School Football — and the Oilers started it in style with a 35-18 win over Orange.

The season opener began with a slow start offensively, but the Oilers struck late in the first quarter when senior quarterback Brady Edmunds connected with Troy Foster on a 35-yard touchdown to put Huntington Beach up 7-0.

In the second quarter, Edmunds reached a major career milestone. Needing just 77 yards to hit 6,000 career passing yards, he surpassed that mark midway through the quarter — a testament to his consistency and leadership under center.

The Oilers extended their lead shortly after when running back Nathan Villanueva punched it in from 2 yards out, capping a 15-play, 40-yard drive to make it 14-0. Orange responded just before halftime with a touchdown pass from Star Thomas to Adam Maldonado, but a missed extra point kept the Oilers ahead 14-6 at the break.

Huntington Beach came out of halftime firing. On their first drive of the third quarter, Edmunds found Steel Kurtz on a 6-yard touchdown strike after a quick 3-play, 16-yard series to push the lead to 21-6. The Oilers kept their foot on the gas as Villanueva found the end zone again, this time on a 5-yard run to finish off an 11-play, 70-yard drive and extend the lead to 28-6.

Orange made it 28-12 early in the fourth quarter with another Thomas-to-Maldonado touchdown, though the extra point attempt failed once again. Huntington Beach answered immediately — Edmunds and Foster connected once more, this time from 32 yards out, and Jayden Stone knocked through the extra point to make it 35-12.

Orange tacked on one final touchdown in the closing seconds with a 7-yard scramble by Thomas, but it was too little, too late. The 2-point conversion failed, and Huntington Beach walked away with a 35-18 victory and a 1-0 start to the season — marking Coach Hatchette's first win as head coach.

The Oilers defense showed up in a big way, racking up 5 total sacks, led by Gavin Seguin (3), with Darby Warren and Pierce Meckel each adding one of their own.

Next up: Huntington Beach will hit the road again next Friday at 7 PM to take on Trabuco Hills, looking to avenge a tough loss from last season.