ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL / PREP EXTRA : DIVISION VII : Lompoc Holds Sunny Hills to 76 Yards Total Offense

It almost seemed unfair.

With Sunny Hills senior quarterback Greg Garand ineligible for Friday night’s Southern Section Division VII second-round game against Lompoc, Lancer Coach Tim Devaney had to turn to sophomore Wesley Thomas.

Bad decision.

The Braves’ defense, which had Thomas on the run most of the game, held the Lancers to only 76 yards total offense in a 36-0 victory.

“We didn’t know who their quarterback was going to be,” Lompoc Coach Robin Luken said. “When they put [Thomas] in, it put a fix on what they could do offensively. They weren’t going to go outside of anything he could do--that limited their offense and we exposed their weaknesses.”

The Braves, who will play Los Amigos in the semifinals next Saturday, beat Sunny Hills, 28-0, in last year’s quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Braves (10-2), who allowed an average of 7.1 points per game entering the game, tormented Thomas, sacking him three times for 38 yards in losses. Thomas completed eight of 17 passes for 65 yards and had three passes intercepted.

The Braves’ offense had little trouble moving the ball throughout the first half. Running back JoVan Griffith ran 73 yards on the Braves’ first play from scrimmage for a quick 7-0 lead.

Lompoc then turned to sophomore Rahsaan Essex, who scored on a one-yard run late in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.