Diamond Bar Hands Brea First Loss

Damp weather and slippery hands contributed to five lost fumbles for Brea Olinda in a 35-7 nonleague defeat to host Diamond Bar on Friday.

Four of those fumbles came in the second half, during which Diamond Bar (2-1) scored 21 unanswered points.

“When you’re used to playing with a dry pigskin, it can be tough,” said Brea Coach Rob Perrance, whose team fell to 2-1. “But I think we played them tough. I’m not sure if we played smart.”

The presence of Dominic Robinson, Diamond Bar’s star defensive back and wide receiver, didn’t help Brea’s cause. Robinson intercepted two passes and caught three for 74 yards.

Diamond Bar took seven rushing plays to score on its first possession, capped by quarterback Ryan Maine’s 13-yard touchdown run. David Oronez’s interception killed the Brahmas’ second drive, but Diamond Bar struck again on its next drive, with Roderick Fields scoring on a 17-yard run.

The Brea defense stiffened in the second quarter. Diamond Bar did drive to the Brea nine late in the half, but the Wildcats stopped the Brahmas on four plays.

Brea got on the board in the second quarter. In 12 plays, the Wildcats drove 71 yards; the key play was a 44-yard run by Manuel Gutierrez.

On fourth and goal from the one-yard line, Brea quarterback Steve Stagnaro attempted carried around right end but ran into a Diamond Bar defender. Stagnaro alertly pitched to Mike Chu, who scored. Matt Votaw’s extra point made the score 14-7.

Brea was its own worst enemy in the second half, turning the ball over five times in six possessions.

Bright spots for the Wildcats included Oronez, who intercepted a pass and recovered one fumble, and Gutierrez, who rushed for 69 yards and recovered two fumbles.