ORANGE LEAGUE FOOTBALL : Western Overcomes Complacency to Handle Magnolia

The biggest opponent facing Western Thursday night was not a player but an attitude.

The Pioneers, with rival Anaheim on the schedule next week and seventh-ranked Valencia set for the season finale, scored a 42-0 Orange League victory over Magnolia at Glover Stadium.

The Pioneers are 6-1-1, 3-0 in league; Magnolia is 1-7, 0-3.

“I think we were a little complacent in the first half,” Western Coach Jim Howell said, “but we won, 42-0, so you’ve got to be happy with that.”

Howell is measuring his team against his own expectations; the lead at the half was 28 points.

The county’s top-rated quarterback, Brandon Brennan, after one of his passes was intercepted on the first series, shredded Magnolia for 248 yards in three quarters, completing 14 of 23 passes. He threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers.

His third touchdown pass broke Chris Chase’s 1984 school record for most touchdown passes in a season, and by night’s end, Brennan had 20. He has 43 in his three-year career.

His fourth scoring pass, a 21-yarder to Jason Covarrubias with 3 minutes 21 seconds left in the third quarter, was his final completion and gave Western a 35-0 lead.

Brennan’s first three scoring strikes were to Marques Robinson (58 yards), Vince Branstetter (11 yards) and Josh Christensen (28 yards).

The latter was set up by two fourth-down conversions, including a 33-yard pass from Brennan to Justin Starkey on a fake punt, and a five-yard pass to Heath Thomas on fourth and four at the Magnolia 33.

The Pioneers’ second touchdown came on a one-yard run by Dawn Johnson, who rushed 11 times for 110 yards. The second-team offense scored the final time, a four-yard run by Ron Liebrecht. Covarrubias kicked the extra points.

The Western defense surrendered 178 yards, but only 125 before the second team took the field in the fourth quarter.

Magnolia’s Sean Roy rushed 14 times for 116 yards.