Last-Second Pass Play Gives Brea a Victory Over Katella

Tight end Erik Arevalo caught an 18-yard pass in the corner of the end zone as time ran out, giving Brea Olinda a 15-14 nonleague victory over Katella Thursday night at Glover Stadium.

Katella (2-2) apparently had the game in hand after it held Brea Olinda (3-1) on fourth and goal at the 17-yard line, with just over three minutes left in the game. But the Knights failed to run out the clock on the ensuing drive, giving the ball back to the Wildcats with less than a minute to play.

After two incomplete passes, Brea got a roughing-the-passer call, putting it at first and 10 at Katella’s 30-yard line, with 27 seconds left. Two plays later, quarterback Travis Blood connected with tight end Matt Winkler for 12 yards and a first and 10 on the 18. With no timeouts, Blood spiked the ball to stop the clock. With seven seconds left, Blood took the snap, avoided a tackle by Christopher Pernetter and hit Arevalo in the end zone as time ran out.

“That’s called winning ugly,” Brea Coach Jon Looney said. “I’m not really pleased with our performance. We aren’t going to get away with that again.”

Katella sophomore quarterback Joe Rogers, in his first varsity start, hit Chris Walters with a 52-yard pass to the 11-yard line on the first play of the game. Running back Francis Johnson scored on the next play for a 7-0 lead.

Johnson, the county’s sixth-leading rusher, left the game in the third quarter because of a sore neck and didn’t return until the final minutes of the game. He finished with 25 carries for 92 yards.

After a 42-yard field goal by Brea’s Scott Davis, Katella took a 14-3 lead when Rogers hit tight end Brandon Jordan on a five-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds left in the half.