SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION VI PLAYOFFS : Woodbridge Scrambles to Win With :29 Left

Woodbridge quarterback James Wyatt searched and scrambled, then searched some more. Finally, moments before being buried under a heap of Brea-Olinda defensive players, he found what he was looking for.

Wyatt threw--then was hit--and Glen Edwards made a diving catch in the end zone with 29 seconds left. It gave the Warriors a 19-14 victory in the first round of the Southern Section Division VI playoffs. They play Rancho Alamitos next week.

“That tore my heart out,” Brea Coach Jon Looney said.

On the other side of the field, hearts had only stopped.

Wyatt, a senior, drove the Warriors 65 yards in the final 3:47 for the winning touchdown. However, it wasn’t a clinic in the hurry-up offense.

Some of the time Wyatt had to improvise, including a mad 25-yard dash through most of the Brea defense. He zig-zagged across the field twice to give Woodbridge (7-2-1) a first down on the Wildcat 31.

Four plays later, he was flushed out of the pocket and scrambled right. He stopped, looked left and right before spotting Edwards.

“I was starting to feel the pressure and was about to run,” Wyatt said. “I saw Glen and just had to get it to him. It was my last chance.”

For Brea (8-3), there was a lot of chances. The Wildcats controlled the game and appeared to have it won, but could not put the finishing touches to the victory.

With 4:36 left, the Wildcats had the ball on the Woodbridge 35, facing a third-and-one play. However, they could not gain the yard on two consecutive quarterback sneaks and Woodbridge took over.

“If you can’t get one yard in two plays, you don’t deserve to win,” Looney said.

Through most of the game, the Wildcats did deserve it. They moved the ball well on offense from the start. On their second play from scrimmage, fullback Justin Brazealle burst up the middle for an 88-yard touchdown run.

By halftime, Brea had 271 yards in total offense, but only led, 14-6. The Wildcats fumbled on the Woodbridge 17 and also had a field goal blocked.

Quarterback Jason Luevanos completed 13 of 20 passes for 227 yards, including a 41-yard pass to Gilbert Arriola that set up a three-yard touchdown run by Jaime Baraglia.

Wyatt, who was 13 of 25 for 231 yards, kept the Warriors close. He completed a 41-yard pass to Scott Corker on the run to set up their first touchdown.

Edwards scored on a three-yard run in the third quarter to make it 14-12.