LA MIRADA – The biggest question mark for Magnolia as it entered the season had to do with its skill players.
A majority of them had no experience, and that left Sentinels coach Ryan Olson questioning which players would step into the spotlight.
Magnolia received its answers in a 14-7 nonleague victory against John Glenn of Norwalk on Thursday night at La Mirada High.
With its offense shaky for a majority of the game, the Sentinels found themselves locked in a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter.
Facing second-and-18, the situation didn’t look too promising. Then first-year starting quarterback Fernando Garcia lofted a pass to Enoch Torres for a 39-yard gain to move the offense to the Glenn 14.
Garcia tossed a 7-yard pass to Brandon Morales a few plays later to pick up a first down, and Lupe Lopez rushed for a 6-yard score three plays later to give the Sentinels a 14-7 lead with 6:09 remaining.
“We just needed someone to make a play on offense,” Olson said. “We watched our playmakers last year, and we saw the big names stepped up.”
While Torres sparked the offense, Miguel Villegas made two huge plays on defense. He recovered a fumble on fourth-and-3 with the Eagles at the Sentinels’ 15 with 53 seconds left to seal the win.
Villegas also recovered a fumble in the third quarter when Glenn had reached the Magnolia 18.
“Our defense, they saved us,” Olson said. “(Those stops) showed we were in shape down the stretch.”
In the past, the Sentinels (1-0) have struggled with power teams who control the clock, and the Eagles gave them fits. Glenn (0-1) threw the ball once all game, on a fourth-and-11 late in the fourth, which it converted.
The ball-control approach kept the Magnolia offense out of sync. The Sentinels were unable to muster any sustained possessions during the contest.
Magnolia’s first score came on the game’s first possession. Kalolo Pangia caught a swing pass from Garcia and broke a few tackles as he raced to the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown.
Garcia completed 8 of his 14 passes for 98 yards and a score. Pangia recorded 74 total yards – 41 receiving and 33 rushing.
The Sentinels have won two consecutive season openers – both against Glenn – after dropping its previous five.
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
