One-Day Delay Can’t Derail Washington, Brea Olinda

It now seems that you can’t stop Brea Olinda and running back Kenny Washington. You can’t even hope to contain them. You can only delay the inevitable by making them wait another day.

Washington rushed for 280 yards and scored four touchdowns as the second-seeded Wildcats capitalized on a crucial fourth-quarter fumble to defeat Western, 34-24, in an emotionally-charged Division IX semifinal Saturday night before 2,800 at Western.

The game was played one day after it was originally scheduled because game officials from the Inland Empire did not show up for Friday’s game. An officiating crew from Long Beach handled Saturday’s game without incident.

Brea (12-0-1) advanced to the championship game for the first time since 1963, when the Wildcats won the last of three consecutive titles. Brea will play top-seeded La Verne Bonita (13-0), which is making its first appearance in the finals in 30 years, on Friday at a site to be determined today.

The Wildcats took control of Saturday’s game when Western running back Jamiah Williamson (150 yards on 15 carries) fumbled the ball early in the fourth quarter with Brea on top, 21-17.

Five plays later, quarterback Steve Stagnaro found Washington wide open at the Pioneer five-yard line, and Washington turned and ran the ball in to complete a 13-yard scoring play and give Brea a commanding 27-17 lead with 8:07 left in the fourth quarter.

“We had the turnovers up to that point, but that one really hurt them,” said Wildcat Coach Jon Looney, whose team survived losing three fumbles. “It went from a [close] game to--boom!--we’re out in front and the pressure is mounting on them.”

Looney credited his players, who have compiled a 34-4-1 record over the past four seasons, with getting Brea past the semifinals after losses to Tustin in 1997 and Lakewood Mayfair in 1998.

“This year we looked at each playoff game one at a time,” Looney said. “The kids didn’t waiver. They haven’t lost in 13 games.”

Western took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and marched 53 yards for a score to take a 17-14 lead, but afterward the Pioneers couldn’t do much on offense or defense.

“Definitely, they just kicked our butts and we couldn’t stop them,” Western Coach Toby Howell said. “It was a matter of their offense having better personnel than our defense.”

Washington, who scored on runs of 34, 8 and 29 yards, credited his offensive line with helping him plow through the Western defense.

“Our linemen were just blowing holes open,” Washington said. “All I had to do was follow them through.”