HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DIVISION VI CHAMPIONSHIP : Placentia Valencia Doesn’t Pass Up Chance

Placentia Valencia traveled an unfamiliar route to win the Division VI championship, 27-7, over Tustin Friday night at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

More comfortable keeping the ball on the ground, Valencia found little room against a Tustin defense stacked against the run. So quarterback Marc O’Brien completed 13 of 19 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown.

Wide receiver Kevin Alexander caught seven passes for 161 yards and a 23-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave Valencia a 20-0 lead.

“They played us so physical up front,” Valencia Coach Mike Marrujo said. “They forced us to pass.

“We usually don’t pass that much, put it that way.”

Valencia is well known in Orange County for its punishing running attack. Running back Ray Pallares gained 5,397 yards from 1983-85, which was the Southern Section record until Russell White of Encino Crespi broke it with 5,998 (1986-88).

David Dotson of Moreno Valley Valley View broke White’s mark on Oct. 18.

It was the second division title for Valencia in the last five seasons and was its fourth championship game appearance in that span. The victory completed an undefeated season for top-seeded Valencia (14-0).

Tustin was playing in its second consecutive Division VI championship game. Last season, the Tillers (12-2) lost to Fullerton Sunny Hills, 7-3, in the game’s final minutes. Tustin Coach Marijon Ancich made his seventh championship game appearance. He won three titles at Santa Fe Springs St. Paul.

“We felt good about coming back at them and giving them a little bit of a scare,” Ancich said. “We were just outmanned.”

Valencia led, 13-0, by halftime on a one-yard touchdown run by O’Brien and a two-yard dive into the end zone by running back Ryan Roskelly.

O’Brien’s 23-yard scoring pass to Alexander pushed the lead to 20-0 with 8:48 left in the third quarter.

Tustin’s only touchdown came on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Jon Miller to running back Jason Reynolds on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Valencia added a 48-yard interception return by Chad Yopp in the waning minutes to account for the final score.

Tustin’s defensive plan centered on stopping Roskelly and Willie Barnes, a 1,200-yard rusher coming into the game. It worked, but it also backfired when O’Brien had a career-high for passing yardage.

“That was kind of my goal all season--to throw for 200 yards,” O’Brien said. “This is the first time I’ve done it since I was a freshman. No, I don’t think I even did it as a freshman.”

He started slowly, throwing two interceptions in his first four attempts. But he completed 11 of 15 passes the rest of the way.