Brethren Christian aims to end Grace Brethren’s perfect record

The Brethren Christian football team is one victory away from advancing to the CIF Southern Section East Valley Division championship game.

BC has a fourth-quarter rally to thank for that chance. In a division quarterfinal Nov. 20 in Temecula, the visiting Warriors scored the final 28 points of the game to overcome a five-point deficit against Rancho Christian and emerge with a 49-26 victory.

The win puts BC, 11-1 overall, into a semifinal date with undefeated Simi Valley Grace Brethren. The Warriors will play host to the 12-0 Lancers, the division’s top seed, Friday at 7 p.m. at Ocean View High.

“It feels great to be going to the semifinals,” BC Coach Pat McInally said. “I’m really proud of the boys and how they bounced back against Rancho Christian. We trailed throughout but we had a really great fourth quarter. I think that’s a tribute to our conditioning.”

Academy League tri-champion BC found itself in a 14-0 hole after one quarter. The Warriors rallied to tie the score (14-14) in the second quarter but Rancho Christian (8-4) recorded a safety and took a 16-14 lead into halftime. The Warriors took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove in for a touchdown for their first lead (21-16). They trailed, 23-21, after three quarters, and 26-21, early in the fourth quarter before storming back to win big.

Junior Levon Lester rushed for 55 yards and three touchdowns on five carries, and junior Jordan Leonard ran for 206 yards and two scores on 20 carries for BC. Junior quarterback Joey Gutierrez (12 of 16) threw for 146 yards with two touchdown passes going to junior Jason Fuga.

“Our offense got into high-gear in the fourth quarter, and our defense got some big turnovers,” McInally said. “Outside linebacker Ryan Park had two interceptions in the second half and really played a great game. Levon Lester also had a really great game, and Jordan [Leonard] was his usual self. We worked to get those two together in our backfield.”

Grace Brethren has rolled in postseason play, outscoring its first two opponents by a combined 98-7. In last week’s 37-0 shutout of Desert, senior running back Zikel Reddick rushed for 336 yards and four touchdowns on only 12 carries.

“They have a really powerful running game and No. 22 [Reddick] is a very good runner,” McInally said. “They also have a very good offensive line and are fast and aggressive on defense. They’re a talented team and haven’t given up many points this year.”

In 12 games, Grace Brethren’s defense has registered eight shutouts — and that doesn’t include a forfeit win against Santa Clara last month — including five straight heading into the postseason. The streak was broken by San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea which scored a touchdown in a 61-7 opening-round playoff loss to the Lancers.

The Grace Brethren defense has yielded only 44 points this season.

The teams are meeting for the second consecutive year in the playoffs at Ocean View High: last November, Grace Brethren eliminated BC (49-28) in a quarterfinal game.

In the other East Valley Division semifinal Friday, Crean Lutheran, also a tri-champion of the Academy League, takes on Saddleback Valley Christian.

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Brethren Christian (11-1)

62...Riverside Prep...0

56...Boron...19

49...Workman...7

42...Capo Valley Christian...33

52...Heritage Christian...32

45...Rio Hondo Prep...16

42...Dymally...14

31...*St. Margaret’s...34

49...*Sage Hill...7

51...*Crean Lutheran....36

51...^Sherman Indian...0

49...^Rancho Christian...26

Friday: vs. ^Grace Brethren, 7 p.m. (Ocean View High)

(*denotes league game; ^ denotes CIF game)