Near-Perfect Brea Olinda Acts Like Champion

If Brea Olinda’s 41-7 thrashing of a very good Valencia team is any indication of how the Wildcats will fare in the playoffs, then the rest of the teams in the division--yes, you too, top-seeded La Verne Bonita--might as well go ahead and call it a season.

Brea wasn’t just dominating, the Wildcats were almost perfect. Their only mistake came after a touchdown, when they were penalized for excessive celebration. The infraction resulted in a 35-yard PAT attempt, which was missed.

Coach Jon Looney, whose second-seeded Wildcats open against Sonora, believes his team has championship potential.

“I’m not taking anything away from anyone,” he said, “but if we play our kind of football, we can be in the [championship] game. If we play as well as we did [against Valencia], we’ll be as tough as anyone in the division.” . . .

Thirteen of the 16 playoff teams are from Orange County. . . .

Garden Grove, winner of the Garden Grove League championship, is making its first playoff appearance in seven years. . . .

Western, which finished fourth in the Orange League, received the division’s only at-large berth. . . .

University is riding an emotional high after defeating Estancia in the final week of the regular season to gain the No. 3 entry from the Pacific Coast League. In one evening, the Trojans transformed Estancia from a league title contender to an also-ran that missed the playoffs.

University didn’t get a break in its draw, though. The Trojans meet top-seeded Bonita in the first round.

“We’d have to almost play a flawless game and they’d have to make a bunch of mistakes in order for us to [win],’ University Coach Mark Cunningham said. “It’s going to take a whole lotta luck, and that will be about it.”