The Good Times Roll in Buena Park Victory

Good things kept happening to Buena Park’s football team in its Freeway League opener against Fullerton Friday night.

Buena Park’s George McDonald ran the opening kickoff back 89 yards to the Fulleton one, and quarterback Geno Robles scored on the first play from scrimmage. Gavin Molinar recovered a fumble at the Fullerton one, and running back Angel Barrios scored on the Coyotes’ first play of the second half.

There was more, but the bottom line was an easy, 33-0 victory for Buena Park, its fifth in a row.

“This is just a positive thing for our program,” said Buena Park Coach Martin Luczaj, who has made one of the weakest programs in Orange County a consistent winner in less than two seasons. “It’s great, it’s great. It’s a great day for Buena Park.”

It’s easy to understand Luczaj’s happiness. Before he took over, it had been 10 seasons since Buena Park had advanced to the Southern Section playoffs. But the Coyotes snapped the streak last season and now appear to be a favorite, along with Sunny Hills, for the league championship.

Buena Park opened the season by losing to Brea-Olinda, 22-8, but hasn’t been beaten since then.

“The kids stayed with it,” Luczaj said. “They’ve worked hard. They’re all great kids. I’m happy for them.”

A relentless running game and a suffocating defense were the key factors for Buena Park (5-1, 1-0) Friday. Fullerton (1-4-1, 0-1) struggled to slow Buena Park’s running backs, who gained 237 yards.

Barrios had 112 yards in only 12 carries, and also scored on a 60-yard run to put Buena Park up, 26-0, midway through the third quarter.

Right from the start, Buena Park seemed too much for Fullerton to handle. McDonald’s long return set the tone, though he might wish it had ended differently.

McDonald outraced kicker David Chacon, Fullerton’s last defender, near the Fullerton 40 and had nothing but grass ahead of him. But nearing the five, he stumbled and fell into a headlong dive, crash-landing just short of the end zone.

Robles dove over from the one on the next play. Later, wide receiver Chris Stone slipped behind the Fullerton defense for a 39-yard touchdown pass play from Robles, giving Buena Park a 14-0 halftime lead.

McDonald had to wait until the fourth quarter to finally reach the end zone, scoring the Coyotes’ final touchdown on a 20-yard run around right end.

Buena Park limited Fullerton to 107 yards rushing and 24 yards passing. Fullerton got to the Buena Park 10 but turned the ball over on downs in the final minutes.