ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : Los Alamitos Tunes Up for Playoffs, 30-8

Los Alamitos High School got ready for the opening round of the Southern Conference playoffs Thursday night with a convincing, 30-8 victory over Katella in front of 1,800 fans in Hanford Rants Stadium at Cerritos.

The Griffins, who figure to be seeded third in the 16-team tournament that begins next Friday, finished the regular season with a 9-1 record, one game behind first-place Loara (9-0-1) in the Empire League. Playoff pairings will be announced Sunday at the Southern Section office at Cerritos.

Los Alamitos put the game away early, gaining 205 yards and scoring 23 points in the first half against an outmanned Katella team that had only 30 players. Griffin quarterback Tom Williamson completed 11 of 18 passes for 142 yards in the half and tailback Neil Sorenson scored two touchdowns.

Field position was the name of the game for Los Alamitos with scoring drives of only 55, 28 and 42 yards. Kicker Dino Syrengelas also added a 27-yard field goal.

The defeat marked the end of another losing season for Katella, which hasn’t had a winning year since 1971. The Knights finished 3-7, with only a league victory over Kennedy.