Special Teams Doom Marina as Brea Olinda Flexes Championship Experience, 35-14

Brea Olinda leaned on its special teams units and its physicality up front to cruise past Marina, 35-14, on Friday night at Westminster High.

The Wildcats set the tone on their third possession, with running back Nick Davis carrying the load — three carries for 53 yards, capped by an 18-yard touchdown run that put Brea Olinda up 7-0 in the first quarter.

Special teams took over from there. Josef Morris blocked a Marina punt and scooped up the bounce himself, returning it 40 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0. Brea Olinda’s offense added to the lead before halftime when quarterback Gavyn Nicholson, who completed just one pass on the night, turned a short throw to Ryan Chang into a 69-yard touchdown, pushing the score to 21-0 with 1:10 left in the second quarter.

Marina got on the board in the third quarter behind an 11-yard touchdown run from Ben Ramos, cutting the deficit to 21-7. But Brea Olinda answered immediately, with Cole Pfeiffer returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown behind a wall of blockers to restore a three-score cushion at 28-7.

Nicholson added a rushing touchdown from 8 yards out in the third quarter before exiting the game, closing out the scoring for Brea Olinda.

Marina quarterback Maverick Coverick, a transfer from Huntington Beach making his first varsity start, threw for 189 yards and a touchdown but was also picked off twice. It was a mixed night for a Vikings roster that featured several players making their first varsity starts against a Brea Olinda team that reached last year’s CIF-SS championship game before falling in overtime.

Brea Olinda continues its season looking to build toward another deep playoff run, while Marina will look to clean up the special teams breakdowns and turnovers as it heads into league play.