Brethren Coach Spreads Word: It’s Beaumont in First Round

Coach Mike Roark’s telephone answering machine delivered the message to the Brethren Christian High School football players.

“Just in case you were wondering, Brethren is playing at Beaumont on Friday. The Warriors are in the playoffs!”

Brethren Christian is one of four Olympic League teams in the Southern Section Division IX playoffs, joining top-seeded Whittier Christian, sixth-seeded Orange Lutheran and Valley Christian.

Brethren, an at-large entry, will play at third-seeded Beaumont at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The playoff appearance rewarded a big turnaround at Brethren. The Warriors, who have only 17 varsity players, are coming off consecutive 2-7 seasons.

“I told the players to call and check the message machine to see if we were in,” Roark said. “Once I found out that we were in, I left the message on the machine.”

So what messages did the players leave?

“All I could hear were kids screaming into the phone,” Roark said.

They had reason to celebrate.

Only two days earlier, Roark thought his team might be out of the playoffs.

A 43-34 loss to league champion Whittier Christian Friday left Brethren (7-2, 2-2 in league) tied for second with Valley Christian and Orange Lutheran.

A coin flip before the game decided the Warriors’ fate. They finished fourth, one place shy of making the playoffs.

Roark knew the outcome before Friday night’s game. His team didn’t.

Roark gathered the players on the field after the loss.

“I told the kids we were on standby,” Roark said. “I hadn’t told them about the coin flip yet, but I told them to be prepared to practice on Monday.”

Roark knows Brethren Christian will have its hands full with Beaumont quarterback Brian Hershey.

Hershey has passed and rushed for nearly 1,400 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

“They run an option offense,” Roark said. “If we shut down their quarterback, we’ll be OK. Then we’ll make them chase us (on offense).”

Few teams have kept up with the Warriors. Their run-and-shoot is led by running back Frank Brady (892 yards, 12 touchdowns) and quarterback Brandon Stott (1,603 yards, 14 touchdowns).

In fact, Stott’s brother, Derek, was the Warriors’ quarterback in 1986, when they made their last playoff appearance. Derek is now the starting quarterback at UNLV.

Brethren Christian isn’t the only team ending a dry spell in the playoffs. Orange Lutheran’s last appearance was in 1985.

The Lancers (8-2) play host to Cantwell (8-2) in the first round Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium.

But at Whittier Christian, playoff appearances are nothing new. The Heralds (9-0) play host to San Jacinto (5-5) in the first round Friday night at Whittier College.

They are making their fifth consecutive playoff appearance and their ninth in the past 10 years. They won section titles in 1983 and 1984.

Whittier Christian also is the only team in Orange County this season to feature two 1,000-yard rushers--tailback Rex Pritchard (1,062 yards) and fullback Ron Rector (1,014 yards).

DIVISION IX

Defending Champion: Carpinteria.

First-Round Schedule: Friday, 7:30 p.m.--San Jacinto (5-5) vs. Whittier Christian (9-0) at Whittier College; Brethren Christian (7-2) at Beaumont (9-1); Cantwell (8-2) vs. Orange Lutheran (8-2) at Santa Ana Stadium; Desert (7-3) at Mary Star (7-3); Valley Christian (4-5) at Carpinteria (6-3-1) ; Big Bear (5-5) at Bishop (7-3); Salesian (4-6) at Oak Park (6-4); Moorpark (5-5) at Tehachapi (9-1).

Top Teams: Beaumont, Bishop, Tehachapi, Whittier Christian.

Dark Horse: Brethren Christian, Orange Lutheran.

Best Draws: San Jacinto at Whittier Christian, Brethren Christian at Beaumont. A Brethren Christian victory in the first round would mean a quarterfinal game against Oak Park or Salesian.

Worst Draw: Cantwell at Orange Lutheran. Orange Lutheran could meet second-seeded Tehachapi in the second round.

Key Players: Mitch Bledsoe, RB, Valley Christian; Frank Brady, RB, and Brandon Stott, QB, Brethren Christian; Brian Hershey, QB, Beaumont; Rex Pritchard and Ron Rector, RBs, Whittier Christian.

Noteworthy: The Olympic League lands four teams in the playoffs: champion Whittier Christian (seeded first), runner-up Orange Lutheran (sixth), third-place Valley Christian and fourth-place Brethren Christian, which made it as an at-large entry. Brethren Christian, which has only 17 varsity players, is making its first playoff appearance since 1986.

DIVISION X

Defending Champion: New division.

First-Round Schedule: Friday, 7:30 p.m.--Calvary Chapel (4-4-2) vs. Linfield (6-3-1) at Temecula Valley High School; St. John’s (6-3) vs. Southern California Christian (7-3) at Valley Christian High School; Village Christian (7-2-1) at Silver Valley (7-3); Hamilton (5-3) at Mammoth (8-2); Capistrano Valley Christian (3-6-1) at Western Christian (5-5); Rosamond (3-6) at Camp Kilpatrick (6-3-1). First round byes--Montclair Prep (7-3), Leffingwell Christian (7-2).

Top Teams: Montclair Prep, Leffingwell Christian, Southern California Christian.

Dark Horse: Calvary Chapel, Village Christian.

Best Draw: Capistrano Valley Christian at Western Christian.

Worst Draw: Calvary Chapel at Linfield.

Key Players: Nathan Lambie, QB, and Darrin Maresh, RB, Southern California Christian; Jason Sharkey, QB, Calvary Chapel; Jeff Bishop, WR, Capistrano Valley Christian.

Noteworthy: Despite a sub-.500 record, Capistrano Valley Christian makes the playoffs with a third-place finish in the Arrowhead League; the Eagles tied Calvary Chapel in the standings but won a coin flip for the third automatic playoff spot. Calvary Chapel, making its first playoff appearance, received an at-large entry.