HUNTINGTON BEACH – What started as a one-sided affair between Brethren Christian and Grace Brethren ended much the same way Friday night – only for the opposite team.
Brethren Christian surged to a 27-point first-half lead in its East Valley Division semifinal at Ocean View High, but couldn’t maintain its momentum after star running back Jordan Leonard went out with an injury late in the first quarter. The top-seeded Lancers sped by in the fourth quarter to take the 46-41 victory.
Grace Brethren (13-0) outscored the Warriors 19-0 in the fourth quarter to cement a date with second-seeded Saddleback Valley Christian in the Dec. 5 final at a site to be determined.
The final minutes were especially brutal for fourth-seeded Brethren Christian (11-2), as it drove to the Grace Brethren 21 with about two minutes left. But quarterback Joey Gutierrez was sacked on third and fourth down, the last takedown resulting in an injury that required him to be taken away by ambulance after the game.
It was Brethren Christian that outscored the Lancers 19-0 in the first quarter behind two touchdown runs from Leonard and another from Gutierrez. Leonard, who had run for 2,518 yards and scored 37 TDs entering the game, gained 119 yards on nine carries in the first quarter, but did not return for the start of the second.
The Warriors, trying to reach their first section championship since 1992, scored on the first play of the second quarter to extend their lead to 26-0 and led 33-6 later in the quarter before they began to wilt.
Grace Brethren continued to rely heavily on 6-foot, 200-pound running back Zikel Reddick, who rushed for 265 yards on 34 carries and scored twice. His second TD just before halftime cut the deficit to 33-20 and gave the Lancers momentum coming out of the break.
The Warriors maintained a 41-27 lead entering the final quarter, but couldn’t stop the surging Lancers. Darrius Vukobradovich scored on an eight-yard run with 10:24 left to cut the deficit to seven and wide receiver Noah Bean hauled in a 66-yard touchdown pass from Nick Juels, who fumbled the snap on the ensuing two-point try, keeping Brethren Christian ahead 41-40.
Brethren Christian couldn’t manage a first down and Juels and Bean hooked up again, this time for a 27-yard touchdown to give Grace Brethren a 46-41 lead with 4:42 left in the game.
