2-A Prep Soccer Final : It’s North to Victory as Sunny Hills Tops Brea

Bryan Jennings, Sunny Hills High School boys’ soccer coach, chose to look at Saturday night’s 2-A championship match as a victory for north Orange County soccer.

And, naturally, for Sunny Hills soccer in particular.

The Lancers, who lost to Brea-Olinda in the second round of the playoffs last season, weren’t about to let the Wildcats defeat them again. Sunny Hills took the championship game, 3-1, in front of 1,000 at Gahr High School in Cerritos.

After defeating Sunny Hills last season, Brea tied Central High of El Centro in the final.

The north county teams know each other well. They scrimmaged earlier this season--Brea winning, 4-3. And Jeff Gordon, a Brea assistant coach who was the star of the 1986 team, is the son of Kenn Gordon, a Sunny Hills assistant.

“This final showed everyone about north Orange County soccer,” Jennings said.

Brea, at least, needed little introduction, but for Sunny Hills, it was different.

“We used to hear, ‘Sunny Who?’ ” Jennings said. “People used to say they had to get out maps to come to our place.”

No more.

Ramon Miramontes gave Sunny Hills a 1-0 lead just five minutes into the game when he headed in a 45-yard free kick by his brother Carlos Miramontes. Sunny Hills went up, 2-0, about 20 minutes later when Steve Fichtelberg put a penalty kick into the right corner, past Brian Hester, Brea goalkeeper. The Lancers were awarded the penalty kick after Brea averted a near goal, fouling Ramon Miramontes in the box in the process.

“Getting that penalty kick took the pressure off,” Jennings said. “And once we got that third goal, I really thought we clinched it. No one was going to score four goals on us.”

The highest total any team managed against the Lancers this season was three, by Villa Park--which with Troy was the only team to defeat Sunny Hills (19-2).

Brea, a traditional soccer power, finished 17-5-2.

Sunny Hills made it 3-0 early in the second half when Brandon Oswald pushed in his own rebound from a few yards out after a penalty corner.

Midway through the second half, Brea’s Mike Oziminski scored on a direct kick from just beyond the box, awarded after he was fouled.

Brea, although it was a defending co-champion and the top-seeded team, was not expected to make it to the final, said both Jennings and Manny Toledo, Brea coach.

Brea returned only three starters from its 1986 team, and at one point this season went five matches without a victory.