PREP FOOTBALL ’93 / FREEWAY LEAGUE : 1992 in Review

Sunny Hills won its second Southern Section championship in three seasons as the Lancers restored order to the Freeway League in 1992, winning their eighth league championship in the past 13 seasons.

A strong rushing attack led by running backs Jeff Willis and Jacob Cuccia, and a stingy defense led by the league’s player of the year, linebacker Brian Willmer, helped Sunny Hills defeat Rancho Alamitos, 14-13, in the Division VII championship game.

Willis rushed for 135 yards and Cuccia’s four-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining clinched the title for the Lancers.

Sunny Hills’ defense allowed fewer than 10 points per game, helping the Lancers finish 12-1-1. Esperanza, the Division II co-champions, dealt Sunny Hills its only defeat, 42-0.

Buena Park opened the season with six consecutive losses, including a 34-12 loss to Sunny Hills. But 1,000-yard rusher George McDonald led Buena Park to four consecutive victories to clinch a playoff berth.

Against Culver City in the first round, McDonald scored two first-quarter touchdowns to help the Coyotes take a 13-point lead. But Culver City eventually shut down Buena Park’s running game and rallied for a 17-13 victory.

A 21-21 tie with Sunny Hills highlighted Troy’s third-place finish in league.

Against the Lancers, Troy quarterback Brian Logan completed 11 of 17 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown, and 1,000-yard rusher James Hartford rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries to help the Warriors rally from a 14-point first-quarter deficit.

Troy lost to Garden Grove, 30-14, in the first round of the playoffs. Sunny Hills eliminated Garden Grove in the semifinals, 21-7.

La Habra, Sonora and Fullerton missed the playoffs, and scored only 14 points combined in their six games against Sunny Hills and Buena Park.

Fullerton struggled for the second consecutive season, losing its 10th consecutive league game.