Brea-Olinda Rolls Past Savanna, 35-6

Friday night’s game between Brea-Olinda and Savanna high schools included such oddities as a pregame shooting incident that delayed kickoff by 45 minutes, a rainstorm, a Rebel touchdown and a Wildcat team that turned over the ball five times but still won by 29 points.

Brea scored five touchdowns in the game’s first 27 minutes and breezed to a 35-6 victory over the winless Rebels at Handel Stadium.

The game almost wasn’t played at all. At 6:40 p.m., while both teams were going through pregame drills, an unidentified person fired a pellet gun that hit the Brea-Olinda equipment station wagon parked near the stadium. The pellet made a hole in the window of the vehicle, which was unoccupied at the time.

Principals from both schools conferred and ordered that the stadium be evacuated until police officers had surveyed the area. After police checked the scene and determined it to be safe, Cynthia Grennan, Anaheim Union High School District superintendent, announced that the game could begin at 8:15.

Anaheim police Sgt. Tom Beardman said that no one was injured in the stadium evacuation, and that there was no panic. “The school officials handled (the evacuation) in a very professional manner,” he said.

The contest didn’t prove to be a success for either team. Despite the victory, Brea missed qualifying for the Southern Section playoffs because of Western’s 13-13 tie with Anaheim Friday night. A Western loss coupled with a Brea victory would have earned Brea (3-2, 5-5) a third-place berth.

Scott Coffey led off the game’s scoring in the first quarter when he recovered a fumble on a botched Savanna punt attempt and returned it 42 yards for a score. Brea scored three more touchdowns in the second period.

Savanna’s only score came on a one-yard plunge by quarterback Tony Osendorf in the third period, as the Rebels closed the season at 0-10.