Brea Olinda junior quarterback Gavyn Nicholson breaks loose for a 47-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of the CIF Division 8 semifinals in Wildcat Stadium. (PHOTO: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).
Brea Olinda quarterback Gavyn Nicholson and running back Kolotolu Liti sloshed through the thick mud and sparked the Wildcats to a 28-12 victory over Irvine in a CIF Division 8 semifinal game Friday night at Brea Olinda.
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The game was played on natural grass, and the grounds were saturated from the excessive rainfall over the past few days, making footing extremely treacherous and slippery.
Nevertheless, Nicholson and Liti combined to rush for 226 yards and score four touchdowns to propel Brea Olinda (10-3) into the finals next Friday to play Beckman, which defeated Palm Desert in the other semifinal game next weekend at Brea Olinda.
The Wildcats will be making their first finals appearance since 2018. They last won a CIF championship in 2001. Aside from passing for 1,188 yards and 12 touchdown passes this season, Nicholson has rushed for 1,003 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.
“This is our home field, and we practice on it every day and we knew it would be difficult on them” said Nicholson, who rushed for 119 yards and three TDs. “It’s great to be going to the finals. After losing in the first round of the playoffs last season, we’ve played with a chip on our shoulder this whole season.”
“Our O-line (Matthew Gieldon, Andres Zuniga, Nick Major, Jacob Vega, Austin Elder, and Jesse Zuniga) were outstanding, and I feel blessed and honored to be going to the finals,” said Liti, who finished with 107 yards rushing and a TD.
The Wildcats second year head coach Justin Villasenor was thrilled with his team’s performance.
“We’ve been a tough physical football team all season,” said Villasenor, who has been coaching at Brea Olinda for 17 years. “I figured whoever kept their footing would win. We capitalized on their mistakes and I’m really happy for several of our coaches who played on the Brea team that went to the 2018 championship game. I’ve been waiting to practice on Thanksgiving ever since I was a player; it’s exciting.”
The game started out strong for Irvine as the Vaqueros (9-4) broke on top in the opening quarter by marching 45 yards in seven plays for a score. Quarterback Sina Saferzadeh capped the drive with a 6-yard TD run. The Vaqueros missed the PAT but led 6-0.
But misfortune would haunt Irvine in the second quarter as the tide changed. The Wildcats took advantage of two turnovers and scored three touchdowns in a span of eight minutes of the quarter to build a 21-6 lead at the half.
On the second play of the second quarter, Nicholson broke free on the outside and raced 47 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 7-6 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Cohen Senkbile recovered a fumble, and Brea Olinda took over at the Irvine 25-yard line. Six plays later, Nicholson scored on a five-yard TD run as the Wildcats upped its lead to 14-6 at the 7:49 mark of the quarter.
On the Vaqueros next possession, Irvine committed its second turnover that proved costly. Saferrzadeh pitched the ball to Jayden Heo, however Heo slipped into the deep mud and the ball hit off his helmet and was nearly caught in midair by Chris Bradish who pounced on the loose ball at the Vaqueros’ 36-yard line.
Nicholson quickly guided the Wildcats down field, aided by an Irvine face mask penalty, and he scored his third touchdown of the game on a seven-yard TD run, boosting Brea Olinda to a 21-6 halftime lead.
Brea Olinda did not complete a pass in the entire game.
The Wildcats took the second-half kickoff and ate up eight minutes of the clock and Liti finished off the scoring march with a 10-yard TD run, making it 28-6.
Seamus Hoffman, who was battling an injured ankle, gave the Vaqueros a lift when he scored on a 15-yard TD run with 10:03 to play, cutting the lead to 28-12, but Irvine’s comeback hopes fizzled when Wildcats linebacker Nick Davis made a one-handed interception on the Vaqueros next possession.
Saferzadeh led Irvine with 50 yards rushing. He also completed nine passes, but the Vaqueros valiant effort came up short.
“Perhaps on a turf field it would have been a different outcome,” said Irvine Coach Tom Ricci. “I’m not taking anything away from Brea. They played great but the conditions were horrible, and I can’t blame our kids for any of the mistakes. It’s just frustrating. “
The Vaqueros committed three turnovers in the game.
“They never played a team like us,” said Brea Olinda defensive lineman Nick Letona. “We punched them in the mouth.”
The Vaqueros were attempting to reach the finals for the first time since 2000 when they went 14-0 and won a CIF championship.
Notes:
—Brea Olinda boosters were selling “Mud Bowl 2025” T-shirts to commemorate the muddy conditions.
—The Wildcats last won a CIF title in 2001 and reached the CIF finals in 2015 and 2018 but lost.
—-Brea Olinda retired football coach Robb Perrance was in attendance last night. Perrance retired in 2022 after coaching at Brea Olinda for 20 years.
—Irvine’s last semifinal appearance was in 2013 when the Vaqueros fell to Garden Grove.
—Saferzadeh finishes the season passing for 1,458 yards and 17 TD passes for Irvine. He has also rushed for 798 yards this season.
—The Vaqueros defeated Temecula Valley and Quartz Hill in the first two rounds of the playoffs, while the Wildcats beat Mary Star of the Sea and St. Monica in the first two rounds.
—-El Dorado High extended the courtesy of allowing Brea Olinda to practice on their turf field this past Wednesday.
—-The Wildcats finished second this season in the Kappa League while Irvine finished third in the Iota League.
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