Valencia Routs Magnolia to Set Up Brea Showdown

Valencia drew one step closer to winning its first Orange League title in three years with a 39-0 rout of Magnolia Friday night at Valencia.

The Tigers will try to unseat two-time defending league champion Brea Olinda when the teams meet next Friday at Brea.

Valencia (8-1, 4-0) proved to be quite effective and efficient on offense, running up 351 total yards while holding the ball for only 17 minutes 46 seconds.

The Tigers scored the first time they touched the ball as quarterback Brian Bartczak connected with Giovanni Alvarez-Mena for a 67-yard touchdown pass. They repeated the feat from 30 yards and Valencia took a 12-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Touchdown runs of 13 yards by Grant Dhenin and 32 yards by Sal Mora increased the Tiger advantage to 25-0 with 7:12 left in the first half.

Magnolia (1-7, 0-4) then put together an impressive 17-play, 71-yard drive to close out the first half. Unfortunately for the Sentinels, the march was halted one yard short of the end zone on the half’s final play when Sentinel quarterback Greg Moye was stopped by Tiger linebacker Bob Davis.

Dhenin and Mora added short touchdown runs in the third quarter. Magnolia responded in the fourth quarter with another long and time-consuming drive, only to have Valencia’s Ray Rodriguez intercept a halfback option pass by Peter Sekona with 1:50 left in the game.

Valencia’s Scott Parker rushed for 93 yards in 12 carries. Bartczak completed five of eight passes for 136 yards with one interception.