The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
Friday was deja vu all over again for Wilson.
Just like last year when the Bruins opened the season with a lopsided home loss to Warren and its big quarterback with scholarship offers, Wilson once again fell behind early to Redondo Union and quarterback Christian Hunt and never recovered in a 33-0 defeat.
Hunt finished the game 13-for-15 and 255 yards with four touchdowns. The senior threw three touchdowns in the first quarter on three consecutive passes.
“We had some opportunities with the ball in the air and we just didn’t go get it early on,” Wilson coach Scott Meyer said. “That could’ve changed things. We’ll be better but we’ve got a lot of work to do that’s for sure.”
Redondo Union (1-0) marched down the field on the first drive of the night and capped the 12 play, 80 yard drive with a touchdown pass to Nate Stiveson. The senior finished the night with four catches for 112 yards and three touchdowns.
Wilson moved the ball a little bit on its first drive, and a good punt by Andrew Bond pinned Redondo Union on its own six-yard line. However, the Sea Hawks only needed to plays to score again as Hunt hit Stiveson for a 63-yard catch and score.
Hunt’s third touchdown of the opening quarter came just two plays after Wilson turned the ball over deep in its own territory. The Bruins only gained 118 net yards on offense. Redondo Union led 26-0 at halftime.
“We’ve got to stop being so hard on each other,” Wilson senior captain James Ma’ae. “A lot of the times after a touchdown guys were putting their heads down but I’ve got to keep telling them to keep their heads up. I know we’ll bounce back.”
“There were moments where we saw we’ve got some guys who can play, but we’ve got to have all 11,” Meyer said. “If a few guys make a mistake it becomes glaring and that was the case tonight.”
The Wilson rushing attack was one of the lone bright spots for the home team as Christian Chapman and Jalen Nelson gained the majority of the Bruins yards on offense. Chapman racked up 78 yards on 12 carries.
“We think Chapman will have a great year, and I think our offensive line will be much better than last year once we get rolling a little bit,” Meyer said. “I like our guys. We’ve just got to get better.”
Wilson will have a short week coming up as it prepares to host Huntington Beach on Thursday.
