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High School Football: Warriors left standing

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Brethren Christian took care of its business by early Friday evening, and a lopsided first-round victory is sending the Warriors forward in the CIF Southern Section football playoffs.

BC, a 51-0 winner over Riverside Sherman Indian, treks to Temecula Friday for a East Valley Division quarterfinal-round date with Rancho Christian.

The 2015 season, on the other hand, came to a close Friday for Sunset League teams Edison and Fountain Valley, both of whom were bumped out of postseason action after first-round losses in the West Valley Division playoffs.

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FRIDAY

Brethren Christian (10-1) vs. Rancho Christian (8-3)

(7 p.m., Rancho Christian High)

The Warriors face their first postseason road test when they face the Eagles.

BC had an easy time of it with Sherman Indian in an opener last week. Junior Brent Nash returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to spark the victory. Leading rusher Jordan Leonard had only two carries in the game but the junior went 55 yards for a score on his first touch, for a 13-0 lead, and 34 yards on his second carry later in the first quarter.

Before the opening quarter was finished, junior Nathan Sagastume scored on a 39-yard interception return, junior quarterback Joey Gutierrez threw touchdown passes to junior Jordan Fuga (42 yards) and senior Ronald Jones (12 yards), and Leonard scored for the second time on his 34-yard run.

After the game’s first 12 minutes, BC was in complete control with a 41-0 lead over the Braves (2-8, Arrowhead League No. 2). By halftime, it was 48-0 after a 10-yard scoring run by junior Levon Lester in the second quarter.

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The 89 yards and two scores on a quick night’s work by Leonard gives him 2,312 yards and 35 touchdowns. He’s averaging 14 yards per carry.

“It was a lot of fun, fun for our fans, too, and a lot of guys got to play,” BC Coach Pat McInally said. “It was nice to get a playoff opener at home, and win the way we did. Ironically, since I’ve been here, we have had nothing but tough road games in [playoff] openers and have been the underdog in those games.”

Rancho Christian is led by second-year Coach Jim Kunau, former longtime head coach at Orange Lutheran who led the Lancers to two (2004, 2006) CIF Southern Section championships and one (2006) state championship. His 2006 team defeated Edison (30-20) in the Pac-5 Division title game.

“They’re really a well-coached team, and Jim has been very successful,” McInally said. “He’s got a good team on his hands. It’s a young team, but an up-and-coming team that has done quite well this year.”

Rancho Christian went to Santa Monica College Friday to take on a one-loss St. Monica Catholic team (9-1) in a first-round game. The Eagles pulled away from a precarious, 21-20 lead in the third quarter to knock off the Santa Fe League champion, 45-28.Quarterback Carter Treadway rushed for two touchdowns and Jesse Roman ran for 98 yards and a pair of scores on 12 carries to pace the win.

BC will be facing a triple-option offense Friday. Three of the Eagles’ top threats on offense are Treadway, a sophomore, Roman, a senior, as well as freshman Malosi Napoleon (82 yards, six carries vs. St. Monica).

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Through 11 games, Treadway has 1,054 yards and 14 touchdowns/three interceptions passing, Roman 594 yards and 10 touchdowns (63 carries) rushing, and Napoleon is the team’s leading rusher with 808 yards and eight touchdowns on 87 carries.

“They are a very athletic team and have several weapons,” McInally said. “They played a really good game against St. Monica and really turned it on in the third quarter to pull away.”

Rancho Christian, the second-place team from the South Valley League — league champion Calvary Murrieta also has advanced to the quarterfinals, is averaging 37 points a game and has scored no fewer than 45 points the past five weeks.

The Eagles bring a five-game winning streak into Friday’s contest. BC has won three straight.

The Warriors are one of three Academy League teams still in contention for the East Valley Division title. Both Crean Lutheran (No. 2 league seed) and St. Margaret’s (at-large), who share the Academy League title with BC, won their playoff openers Friday.

The BC-Rancho Christian winner moves on to a Nov. 27 semifinal and will meet either top-seeded Simi Valley Grace Brethren (Frontier League champion) or Desert (Desert Mountain League champion).

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Chargers fall to Rancho Cucamonga

Having somehow survived a rash of injuries to go undefeated and win the Sunset League championship, Edison hobbled its way into the CIF Southern Section West Valley Division football playoffs Friday.

A short time later, the Chargers also hobbled out of postseason play.

Edison scored 17 unanswered points to wipe out a 10-point deficit only to see Rancho Cucamonga answer with the final 20 points of the game, and the visiting Cougars went on to a 30-17 upset victory at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium.

Edison was down eight senior starters and three of four team captains entering its first-round matchup against the third-place team from the Baseline League, and lost a few more starters to injury during the game. One player was the Chargers’ one returning defender from a year ago, senior defensive back Gasper Atencio (shoulder) who exited early in the first half after taking a big hit.

“It caught up with us a bit and we kind of ran out of gas, both in the fourth quarter and for the season,” Edison Coach Dave White said of his injury-riddled team that had already was without its starting quarterback, top running back and two top receivers. “But I’m proud of the kids and the way they kept fighting through it all.

“We lost to a really good team. They have a lot of speed and we had to play a real clean game to win it, but we didn’t do that.”

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Rancho Cucamonga not only scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from a 17-17 tie, but the Cougars defense also came up with three interceptions in the final 12 minutes — and four in the game, overall, to stymie the Edison offense.

Trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter, Edison got on the scoreboard when junior running back Turner Maza scored on a one-yard run, and the half ended with the Chargers trailing, 10-7. In the third quarter, senior kicker Bobby Jinkins connected on his final career field goal, a 21-yarder, to tie the score. Two plays later, the Chargers had their first lead when junior Bowen Blake, who started at quarterback and alternated with sophomore Griffin O’Connor, scooped up a fumble at the Edison 28-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. Jinkins’ conversion gave the Chargers a 17-10 lead.

Rancho Cucamonga (8-3) came right back to take the lead for good, and the third-place team from the Baseline League will host Tesoro (South Coast League No. 2) in a quarterfinal game Friday.

“We fought back but just couldn’t finish,” White said. “[Rancho Cucamonga] came right back at us after we took the lead, and they were able to take control.

“It’s tough to end the season this way but again, I’m real proud of our guys. They won the Sunset League — I think we’ve won it 10 of the last 15 years, and were very resilient through all of our injuries this year.”

Edison completed a 7-4 season which included a 5-0 run through the Sunset League.

White to coach through 2016 season

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Dave White said Monday that the 2016 season will be his final year as head coach of the Edison football program. He has coached and taught (physical education) at his alma mater for 37 years, and just completed his 30th season as head coach Friday.

Edison was eliminated from the CIF Southern Section West Valley Division playoffs after a 30-17 loss to Rancho Cucamonga.

“I’m going to retire from coaching and from teaching after next year,” he said. “My wife [Lytie] and I want to go back to see games at Yale. We’re looking forward to traveling a bit.”

Their son, Garrett, a senior receiver, has committed to Yale and will sign with the Bulldogs in February, Dave White said.

Edison won the Sunset League title this year, and the Chargers were in postseason play for the seventh consecutive year and 15th time in 16 years.

“I told our staff that I’d still help out, if they want,” he said. “I’d be one of those walk-on coaches, like Harry Schmidt (offensive line coach) who has been here a very long time (32 years), and still be around the game, still be a part of it.”

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Barons upended by Murrieta Valley

Fountain Valley traveled to Murrieta for a first-round West Valley Division playoff date and lost to Murrieta Valley, 48-7.

The Barons took the early lead by taking advantage of a fumbled punt return by the Nighthawks which set up a short touchdown run by senior quarterback Chad Olberding. The Nighthawks, however, rebounded and took a 34-7 halftime lead.

Murrieta Valley was led by the passing of freshman quarterback Hank Backmeier (15-17, 235 yards, five touchdowns), senior running back Quincy Wimbash (16 carries, 201 yards, TD), and two top receivers, sophomore Marquis Spiker (eight receptions, 162 yards, three TDs) and junior Maurice Bell (five receptions, 61 yards, two TDs).

“We played hard and had a great season,” Fountain Valley Coach Ray Fenton said. “We got the lead early but knew they had big playmakers on offense, and they used those players to their advantage and stormed right back. They are a very good football team and have a lot of speed.”

Murrieta Valley, the No. 2 team from the Southwestern League and 9-2 overall, advances to play top-seeded Mission Viejo (South Coast League champion) in a quarterfinal game Friday.

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Fountain Valley ended the year 7-4 overall and took second-place in the Sunset League. The Barons went to the playoffs for the second time in Fenton’s three years as head coach.

“Our whole season was a bright spot,” Fenton said. “We’ve still got a young team this year and feel the program is moving in the right direction. Our group of seniors on this team was outstanding in their leadership and taking the program in that direction.”

Sunset League eliminated

The Sunset League went 0-3 in opening round playoff action Friday. In addition to losses by Edison and Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos (5-6), the league’s third-place team, dropped a 38-30 West Valley Division game at Baseline League champion Chino Hills (9-2).

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