Brea Olinda Cruises Past Woodbridge

So much for the defensive struggle that everyone predicted Friday night.

Brea Olinda scored three touchdowns in the second quarter and cruised to a 27-0 victory over Woodbridge in a Southern Section Division V second-round playoff game. The Wildcats (11-1) advanced to the semifinals to play second-seeded Tustin (12-0) next Saturday.

Two interceptions and tough defense in the trenches were the keys for Brea, which bolted to a 24-0 halftime lead.

With a no-huddle offense, Woodbridge attempted early on to wear down the six players for Brea who play on both sides of the line. But the move seemed to hinder the Warriors’ offense, which never appeared in sync.

Woodbridge turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions. Warrior quarterback Scott Barlow failed to connect on 10 pass attempts in the first half, and the Warriors’ managed only 60 yards rushing.

“They were a better football team than we were tonight,” Woodbridge Coach Rick Gibson said. “We had that game plan. We thought we could wear out those six guys who go both ways, but we didn’t execute it very well.”

Some of that had to do with Brea’s ball-control offense against Woodbridge’s shifting front line, which featured only a single lineman or two in the down position most of the time. The Wildcats were methodical in gaining 153 first-half yards, all but 31 on the ground.

“Our offensive line should be credited with this one,” Brea Coach Jon Looney said. “That’s an awkward front Woodbridge uses and our guys picked it up and were able to block against it.

“Our offense is right where we want it to be. It’s coming around at the right time.”

Running back Scott Lieng led the Wildcats with 108 yards in 19 carries. Fullback Eric Albrecht gained 66 in 15 carries.

Brea led, 3-0, with two minutes 36 seconds left in the first quarter after a 41-yard field goal by Scott Davis. Four and a half minutes after that, quarterback Travis Blood threw 16 yards to Ron Benigno for a touchdown that capped a 10-play, 57-yard drive. Blood, who threw only when he had to, completed six of 16 passes for 71 yards, but several of his throws were dropped.

Woodbridge got the ball back on its 20 after Benigno’s touchdown, but Barlow’s second consecutive pass was intercepted by Brea’s Rasuli Webster, who returned the ball 28 yards for a 17-0 lead. It was Webster’s fourth interception return for a touchdown and his sixth defensive score overall of the season.

“That play really broke their backs,” Looney said of the interception. “It took the steam right out of them.”