Brea-Olinda Looking Over Its Shoulder at Valencia : Orange League: Tigers’ quickness and talented returning players make them the favorite to regain the title.

Brea-Olinda High’s football team ended Valencia’s seven-year stranglehold on the Orange League championship last year, a fact that worries Wildcat Coach Jon Looney.

“The good news is that we’re defending league champions,” he said. “The bad news is that we beat Valencia (23-21) and they aren’t too happy about it.”

And it’s not a good idea to tick off the Tigers--especially this season.

They return 10 starters, including their quarterback, two running backs and two receivers, from last year’s 11-2 team that averaged 35.7 points.

Valencia, which returns 23 lettermen, is ranked third in the Southern Section Division VI preseason poll behind top-ranked Sunny Hills and Tustin.

Once again, Valencia isn’t rebuilding, but reloading. And, once again, the Tigers are a unanimous choice among coaches to win the league title.

Even Mike Marrujo, who rarely talks about his team, said the Tigers are the league favorites.

“I don’t like to toot my own horn,” he said, “but this is the fastest team I’ve had. We have a good nucleus back from a good team. We should be right in the hunt for the title.”

Marrujo’s not alone in his thinking. His team has the rest of the league coaches talking, too:

“There’s Valencia, and everyone else is going to be fighting for second,” Anaheim Coach Raul Victores said.

Said Looney: “It could come down to Valencia and us, but I have to give them the edge based on their past history.”

Savanna’s Fred DiPalma said Valencia will be hard to catch in a foot race, as well as the league race. The Tigers have four players who run the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds or faster.

“Valencia’s loaded with all that speed,” DiPalma said. “They’re always tough, but they’ll be even tougher with all those skill guys back.”

Said Western Coach Jim Howell: “I have to say it will be Valencia or Brea. After that, anyone has a chance at that third and final playoff spot.”

Marrujo’s record at Valenicia is 95-26-5. Before his arrival in 1981, the Tigers had little winning tradition.

In 1980, they finished third in the Orange League and qualified for the playoffs. Before that season, they had lost 30 consecutive games.

Marrujo has spent 10 seasons winning with blue-collar, conservative teams. This year should be no different.

The Tigers’ top returnees are senior running backs Willie Barnes and Ryan Roskelly.

Barnes, who transferred from Santa Ana Valley after his sophomore year, rushed for 548 yards and scored 12 touchdowns last season.

Roskelly ran for 661 yards in 75 carries and scored 10 touchdowns.

“Roskelly’s really, really good,” DiPalma said. “Athletically, he’s the best player in this league.”

Also returning is quarterback Marc O’Brien, a 6-foot-3, 188-pound senior, and twins Korey and Kevin Alexander.

Korey Alexander is a 5-9, 160-pound running back and Kevin is a 5-9, 158-pound wide receiver.

Barnes, Roskelly and Korey Alexander are the Tigers’ fastest players.

“Willie and Korey raced one day,” Marrujo said, “and only a foot separated them. These guys have a lot of speed.”

Brea could be the only team that can keep pace with Valencia.

The Wildcats, ranked fourth in the Division VI preseason poll, return 13 starters.

“No one gave us a chance to win it last year,” Looney said. “But everyone knows about us this year.”

Looney said he’s expecting big things from quarterback Jason Luevanos, ranked fifth among Orange County quarterbacks in statistics last season.

Luevanos, a 5-11, 180-pound senior, completed 95 of 144 passes for 1,385 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was the league’s “back of the year” last season.

His favorite target is all-league wide receiver Jamie Baragelia, who caught a school-record 47 passes last season.

How will Brea’s air attack match up against Valencia’s ground game?

For the record, Valencia plays at Brea on Nov. 1.

And what does Marrujo think about the matchup? He’ll take the Fifth on this one.

“I make it a point not to worry about other teams,” he said. “Just mine.”