Victory Puts Buena Park in Playoffs

The Buena Park High School football team clinched its first playoff appearance since 1981 with a 28-13 Freeway League victory over Troy Friday night.

Buena Park is 5-4, 3-1 in league and tied for Fullerton for second place with a week left in the regular season. The Coyotes can finish no worse than third.

Buena Park junior Angel Barrios helped lead a second-half comeback, rushing for 211 yards on 20 carries and a 16-yard touchdown. It was his fourth consecutive 200-plus-yard game this season.

Troy (3-6, 1-3), which could have climbed into contention for third and a playoff berth with a victory, saw its chances fade when senior quarterback Greg Windle injured his left (throwing) wrist in the first half. He was taken to the hospital for X-rays at halftime, and Coach John Turek said the preliminary diagnosis was a break.

Windle dominated before being forced from the game, completing six of 14 passes for 177 yards and sparked his team to a 13-0 lead. One of his completions resulted in a 96-yard touchdown pass play with Steve Friedrich in the first quarter, the longest in Troy history.

But Windle’s injury forced Turek to go with an inexperienced sophomore, Bryan Burchit, who didn’t complete a pass in seven attempts, and was sacked three times by the Coyotes’ swarming defense.

That allowed the winners to recover, and they took a 14-13 lead on their first possession of the second half when running back Robert Starks scored on a two-yard run.