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High School Football: BC Warriors finish strong

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Brethren Christian ended its regular season on a winning note Thursday as the Warriors cruised to a 52-28 victory over visiting Lynwood Firebaugh in a nonleague football game at Ocean View High.

BC used a 28-point second quarter to sprint past the Falcons. The outburst allowed the Warriors to break away from a 14-all tie, and win going away.

They scored the first 10 points of the second half, too, and after going up, 52-14 in the third quarter, the game went to a running clock.

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The triumph sends the Warriors into the postseason on a three-game win streak. BC, 8-2 overall, is the second-place team from the Academy League in next week’s CIF Southern Section East Valley Division playoffs. The playoff pairings will be released Sunday.

“I’m very happy with our year,” BC Coach Pat McInally said. “Now, it comes down to Sunday and the brackets. This win gives us some good momentum going into the playoffs.”

McInally said it was important that his team turn to its run game against Firebaugh, and that’s what the Warriors did. Namely, in the rushing of Jared Fuga who seemingly ran at will. The senior back had 17 carries for 170 yards and scored twice.

Fuga scored on runs of two and 15 yards in a first half that ended with BC holding a 42-14 advantage.

His 15-yard score ignited BC’s 28-point second quarter.

Fuga did not return to the game after it went to a running clock with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter.

“Jared ran really well tonight,” McInally said. “We’ve been trying to establish our running game more and more. We know for the playoffs, we need to be more balanced offensively. When we run the ball well, it opens up the passing game. I thought we did a good job running the ball tonight.”

BC senior quarterback Jack McInally was only nine of 24 but he threw for 189 yards and four of those completions went for touchdowns. Two of his scoring passes went to junior receiver Guy Demazeliere. Senior receiver Austin Gorrell and junior running back Andrew Assaf each had one TD reception.

Jack McInally was playing with a sprained wrist, a broken toe, and an injured knee.

He also threw an interception in the first quarter that was returned for a touchdown.

The game began strangely. Firebaugh (3-7) could muster little on offense but still took a 7-0 lead when Randy Heffeman intercepted McInally on BC’s second play from scrimmage, and returned the pick 35 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons had the point-after kick blocked, but led, 6-0.

That lead didn’t last long, though, as Warriors return man Anthony Moore, who had been out of action due to a shoulder injury, ran the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown, Bobby Hardigree’s conversion gave BC a 7-6 lead.

The Warriors got the ball back less than two minutes later at the Firebaugh 41-yard line after the Falcons failed on a fourth-down pass. Fuga was called upon on three straight runs, and covered all 35 yards, the final two coming on an easy two-yard run where he went standing up into the end zone.

Gorrell scooped up a dropped lateral pass at the Firebaugh 40 on the Falcons’ next possession but on second-and-10 from that spot, a pitch by McInally was errant, and the Falcons’ Eric Villagomez picked up the fumble and ran it back 58 yards for a score. A two-point run by Marvell Carruthers tied the score, 14-14, with 2:53 left in the opening quarter.

On the kickoff, Gorrell appeared to score on a 99-yard return for the second BC kick return for a touchdown, but his run down the BC sideline was called back due to a hold call against the Warriors. Starting from their own eight, the Warriors still reached the end zone. A 29-yard run by Fuga, followed by a 27-yard pass play on the final play of the quarter between McInally and Demazeliere, put the ball at the Firebaugh 15. On the first play of the second quarter, Fuga cut his way around left end and went in for the score for a 21-14 lead.

BC’s RJ McKay recovered a short kickoff to put the Warriors at the Firebaugh 26. Eight plays later, McInally lofted a pass to the left corner of the end zone, which Demazeliere caught for a three-yard score.

McInally and Demazeliere hooked up on another scoring pass on BC’s next possession. Facing fourth-and-10 from the Firebaugh 29, McInally threw down the left sideline inside the 10, and Demazeliere made the catch at the seven and completed a 29-yard scoring play. It was 35-14 with 6:48 remaining in the half.

Two big defensive plays by senior defensive end Will Martin preceded the touchdown pass. Martin sacked Falcons quarterback Jordan Cardenas on back-to-back plays which totaled minus-18 yards. The second sack was set up by Demazeliere who broke through and drilled Cardenas who then staggered before Martin dragged him down.

The twin sacks gave Martin 14 1/2 sacks on the season.

After the McInally-Demazeliere TD pass play, Martin stripped the ball on Firebaugh’s kickoff return, and also recovered the ball at the Firebaugh 40. BC failed to move in for a score, but the Warriors got on the scoreboard one final time in the half when McInally threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Gorrell with 1:36 left.

BC took the second-half kickoff and marched down to the Firebaugh nine. The Warriors settled for a 25-yard field goal by Hardigree. The drive was set up by a 25-yard kickoff return by Martin.

Martin also recovered another short kickoff by the Warriors, this time, at the Firebaugh 35. The recovery led to a 12-yard scoring pass from McInally to Assaf four plays later.

BC had opened up a 52-14 lead less than five minutes into the third quarter. The Warriors cleared their bench the remainder of the game, and Firebaugh scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Falcons’ final score came on the game’s final play.

Brethren Christian (8-2)

23...Arrowhead Christian Academy...41

1…Animo Leadership…0 (forfeit)

28…Grace Brethren…8

35…Fairmont Prep…21

45…Riverside Christian…6

55…*Downey Calvary Chapel…0

10…*St. Margaret’s…21

35...at *Sage Hill...17

35...*Crean Lutheran...16

52...Firebaugh...28

(*denotes Academy League game)

Fountain Valley knocks off Los Alamitos

Fountain Valley secured a CIF playoff berth Thursday by defeating host Los Alamitos, 10-7, in a Sunset League finale at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

The win puts the Barons at 3-2 in league, and 7-3 overall.

The loss dropped Los Alamitos, ranked third in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division, from a share of first place. The Griffins fell to 3-2 in league and 8-2 overall.

Senior back Isaiah Davis scored on a one-yard run in the first quarter, and Jonah Mack kicked a 22-yard field goal late in the third quarter for the Barons, who took a 10-0 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Sunset League schedule comes to an end Friday. Edison and Newport Harbor, both 3-1 and in first place, play road games. The Chargers take on Marina (1-9, 0-4) at Westminster High, while the Sailors (5-4 overall) travel to face Huntington Beach (4-5, 1-3).

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