PREP EXTRA / ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Valencia’s Final Play Tops Lancers

Eric Young’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Alan Manning with six seconds left in the game gave Valencia a 31-28 victory over Sunny Hills Friday night in a nonleague game at Buena Park High.

Trailing by four with 1:46 left, Young and Manning teamed up on two crucial fourth-and-11 situations. On the first from the Valencia 43, Young hit Manning for 22 yards to keep the drive alive at the Sunny Hills 35-yard line. Two incomplete passes and a quarterback sack set up the game-winning play at the 36.

“A ‘Z’ pattern was called,” said Manning. “Two plays earlier they covered me tight off the line. This time I faked left and took it over the middle.”

The Sunny Hills defender slipped and Manning went in untouched for the winning score.

“Manning is our go-to guy,” Coach Mike Marrujo said. “He came into the game as our leading receiver.”

Manning had a game-high nine catches for 104 yards.

Sunny Hills (1-3-1) scored on its first series, moving the ball 80 yards in nine plays. A key 29-yard run by Robert Oliver set up the first score, a one-yard plunge by quarterback Greg Garand.

At the half, Valencia (1-4) led, 14-7, on touchdown runs from Julian Gomez and Jimmy DiDodo.

Sunny Hills’ focused on passing in the second half, as Garand completed 17 of 23 passes. He completed 19 for 28 for 225 yards in the game. He passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more.