Brea Glides Past Magnolia Behind Stagnaro, Farnham

Steve Stagnaro threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score--all in the first half--leading Brea Olinda to a 34-0 Orange League victory over Magnolia Friday night at Glover Stadium.

It was Stagnaro’s second touchdown pass that best demonstrated the junior quarterback’s leadership ability. Faced with a fourth-and-three situation on the Magnolia 25-yard line, Stagnaro was blitzed. He shook off a tackler and connected with sophomore Nick Farnham, who carried the ball down the sideline for the score.

“He [Stagnaro] showed remarkable poise and demonstrated his ability to improvise,” Brea Coach Rob Perrance said.

The play also helped to introduce sophomore Farnham as a force.

With starting running back Manuel Gutierrez held out of the game because of injury, Farnham responded with 11 carries for 66 yards and three pass receptions for 59 yards and two touchdowns.

“Gutierrez suffered a bruised ankle in practice Tuesday and we wanted to hold him out and give Farnham a chance to get some experience,” Perrance said. “He showed that he is a tough runner.”

Brea Olinda (5-2, 2-0) had its opening drive stopped when Tim Beaty broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone. The Wildcats scored the next five times they had possession.

Stagnaro connected on a 33-yard scoring pass to Alfonso Guerrero for the first touchdown. The Stagnaro-to-Farnham score with 11 seconds left in the first quarter increased the lead to 14-0.

Stagnaro followed Farnham’s blocking for a nine-yard touchdown with 9:34 left in the half.

Evan Moore caught a 41-yard touchdown pass and Farnham pulled in a 31-yard touchdown pass to complete the scoring.

Magnolia (1-6, 0-2) advanced to the four-yard line as time expired in the first half. Quarterback Kevin Albiso led the Sentinels with 56 yards rushing in nine carries.