Brea, Washington Keep It Grounded for Victory

Brea Olinda came into its game Thursday night against Buena Park knowing it wanted to pound the ball on the ground, and that’s exactly what the Wildcats did.

Kenny Washington gained 183 yards in 12 carries, and the Wildcats scored a 31-17 victory at Brea.

“We lost a lot of players in the skill positions last year,” Brea Coach Jon Looney said. “And we knew if we were going to be successful, we had to have a solid ground game.”

After falling behind, 3-0, after the first quarter, Brea’s running game came alive in the second.

Washington scored on an 80-yard run with 6:26 left in the half. He finished the night with three touchdowns, all in the second quarter.

“Kenny ran the ball really well for us,” Looney said. Brea rushed for 263 yards.

Buena Park’s running game also showed some spark in the second quarter, when Chris Miller broke free for a 69-yard touchdown run.

Brea’s defense also got a strong challenge from Buena Park quarterback Earl Parker, who completed 18 of 50 passes for 218 yards.

“We knew they were going to throw a lot, but we didn’t think it would be this much,” Looney said. “Our pass defense was caught a little off guard at the beginning of the game, but they made an adjustment and ended up doing a good job.”