THE PACIFICA defense stifled Fullerton most of the night Thursday, allowing just one score each half. Mariners won their season opener 48-14 (Orange County Tribune photos by Jim Tortolano).

By Jim Tortolano

As impressive as Pacifica High’s football debut was Friday night, dismantling Fullerton 48-14 at Bolsa Grande Stadium, it’s almost scary to imagine how good the Mariners might someday be.

Edward Ramos ran for four scores, and he’s a junior, as is Jeremiah Ingram, who intercepted two passes. Darius Cowens, the M’s multi-talented quarterback, also has two seasons of eligibility ahead of him and his favorite receiver – Jordan Ross – is only a sophomore.

DARIUS COWENS stands out on offense and defense.

Ah, but coaches have to live in the here and now.

“It’s our first game of the season,” said Mariner head coach Vinnie Lopez. “I think we had too many mental mistakes. Guys missing on special teams and we had to take time outs and that’s never a good thing, but I think we’ll be OK. I think we’ve got a good football team. We just need to eliminate the mental mistakes.”

Reflecting on who stood out, Lopez said, “I think everybody had their moments. I thought Darius played well at times on both sides of the ball, Jeremiah played fantastic, he had the interception, long touchdown.”

The Mariners jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Indians replied with one touchdown to get within 14-6, but that was as close as the game got, as Pacifica outscored Fullerton 34-8 the rest of the way.

Refining their play is crucial for the M’s, who play in the tough Empire League. They were tri-champs last year and will face another challenging schedule against teams like Cypress, Tustin and Kennedy. The next step toward getting even better will come next Thursday, when they host the Linfield Christian Lions of Temecula at Bolsa Stadium.

Friday night scores

• Pacifica 48, Fullerton 14
• Arcadia 43, Marina 25
• Servite 54, Edison 14 (Note: Edison was to play Venice and Servite was to play Bishop Amat, but those games were canceled for “COVID-19-related reasons)
• Aliso Niguel 28, Huntington Beach 20
• Ocean View 8, Santa Ana Valley 0 .