Orange Blows Away Agoura, 35-22

Talk about letdowns. Most running backs strive for the ever-elusive 100-yard rushing game.

Brian Remmel of Orange High had that goal tucked in his pocket less than five minutes into the Panthers’ 35-22 win over host Agoura on Friday night in the semifinals of the Division VIII playoffs.

So what was left to keep the junior tailback going?

“I held onto the thought that I wanted to put Orange on the map,” he said.

In the process, he almost single-handedly blew the Chargers off the map, gaining 280 yards in 24 carries.

Remmel scored on runs of 77, one and 94 yards in the first half as Orange built a 28-0 lead.

Orange will meet Trabuco Hills next week for the championship.

With the game decided early, the Chargers had to reach for something extra to keep from getting trampled by the 5-10, 180-pound Remmel.

Perhaps a sniper would have come in handy.

“He’s one of the best we’ve seen,” Agoura Coach Frank Greminger said. “He knows how to keep his feet moving and he’s got a pretty good line in front of him too.”

The Chargers (9-4), who won the Desert Mountain Conference title in 1984 behind some last-second heroics, tried to repeat the feat against Orange (10-2-1).

Agoura scored 16 points during a two-minute span in the fourth quarter to make the score close.

First, quarterback Josh Smaler scored on a two-yard sneak with 6:21 left.

Reserve quarterback Sean Fitzgerald then connected with Greg Ochoa for a 49-yard touchdown pass with 4:37 left. Smaler hit Ochoa with two-point conversion passes after each touchdown.

However, the Chargers could pull no closer.