ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : ORANGE LEAGUE : Brea’s Offense Hits Season High, 33-0

In one half of play Thursday night, Brea-Olinda High School’s football team put aside its offensive struggles in its Orange League opener. However, Coach Bill Brown will withhold judgment for at least another week.

The Wildcats did have their biggest offensive showing of the season, scoring 27 points in the first half of a 33-0 victory over Magnolia in front of 600 spectators in Handel Stadium. It ended a two-game losing streak for Brea, which had scored only 44 points during its five previous games.

However, the victory came against the winless Sentinels, who have been shut out four times this season and were playing without Coach John Hangartner. The 50-year-old coach suffered a heart attack earlier in the week.

“The best news is that I got word before the game that John Hangartner is doing well and is expected to fully recover,” Brown said. “They (Magnolia’s players) had a lot of problems to deal with during the week.”

The Wildcats’ problems are ahead of them. Brea plays Valencia, Western and Anaheim in its next three Orange League games.

“We have three tough teams ahead of us,” Brown said. “They are the type of teams that come out after you.”

The Wildcats (3-3 overall, 1-0 in league) went after the Sentinels (0-6, 0-1) from the start Thursday.

Less than two minutes into the game, Jason Miller blocked a punt and ran it two yards for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Brea’s running attack did the rest.

The Wildcats were content to run the ball between the tackles throughout the first half, with tailback David Stark and fullback Mike DeClark doing the bulk of the work. Stark gained 79 yards, including touchdown runs of 12 and 14. DeClark rushed for 69 yards, as the Wildcats amassed 150 yards on the ground in the first half.