Brea-Olinda’s Luevanos Beats Western in Final 19 Seconds

ANAHEIM —  Quarterback Jason Luevanos threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Gilbert Arriola with 19 seconds remaining to give Brea-Olinda a 21-14 victory over Western in a Orange League game Friday night.

Luevanos showed staying power after having four passes intercepted and losing a fumble before connecting with Arriola for the winning touchdown.

Brea (7-2, 2-2) trailed throughout the game as Luevanos struggled against a blitzing Western defense. Western set the tone in the first quarter when defensive back Jason Diaz intercepted a Luevanos pass at Brea’s 26-yard line and returned it to the five.

Two plays later, running back Shane Foss scored on a one-yard run and then added a two-point conversion run for an 8-0 lead that stood until the third quarter.

Diaz had a big night, intercepting a Luevanos pass on the third play of the fourth quarter and returning it 80 yards for a touchdown to give Western a 14-6 lead.

Western had only one victory going into the game, but the Pioneers outplayed Brea for three and a half quarters before the combination of Luevanos to Arriola began to click. Arriola didn’t have a pass reception in the first half, but finished with seven catches for 111 yards.

Running back Jaime Baraglia scored two of Brea’s three touchdowns in the second half and added a two-point conversion run. But it was the hard running of tailback Marco Hernandez in the second half that helped the Wildcats turn the game around.

Hernandez had only 43 yards rushing in the first half, but finished with 141 yards in 25 carries and also caught four passes for 13 yards.

Luevanos and Western quarterback Brandon Brennan combined for 66 passes as both team’s defensive secondaries were kept busy. Brennan directed Western most of the night with a no-huddle offense that was sporadic at best. He finished with 125 yards passing.

Luevanos passed for 200 yards, but more importantly, he kept his poise despite the interceptions. In the end, it was Luevanos’ play that helped Brea-Olinda avoid a letdown against a fired-up Western team (1-8, 1-3).