Brea Olinda quarterback Gavyn Nicholson is sacked by Cypress defensive end Dayne Saari, left, and Louden Aljian, bottom, in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cypress quarterback Justin Hall fires a pass against Brea Olinda in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Brea Olinda quarterback Gavyn Nicholson, left, gets away from Cypress linebacker Kaiden Ledford on a quarterback keeper in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cypress running back Louden Aljian, left, tries to get by Brea Olinda cornerback Randolph Martinez in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cypress wide receiver Matt Rodriguez celebrates his touchdown catch against Brea Olinda in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cypress quarterback Justin Hall, left, is able to avoid the tackle by Brea Olinda free safety Logan King (3) in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cypress running back Louden Aljian, right, celebrates scoring a touchdown against Brea Olinda in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cypress wide receiver Xavier Guerrero, right, catches a pass for a touchdown against Brea Olinda in a nonleague football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cypress head coach RIck Feldman during a football game in Brea on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
BREA – The Cypress football team had a few “uh-oh” moments early in its game against Brea Olinda.
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The Centurions’ first two offensive plays were sacks for 15 yards worth of losses. They would punt on fourth-and-18.
The second play of their next possession was negated by a holding call, followed by a false-start penalty.
Cypress did get enough right eventually to beat the Wildcats, 24-12, in a nonleague game on a sweaty Friday night at Brea Olinda High.
The Centurions are 2-0. They beat Cerritos last week, 42-7.
Brea Olinda is 1-1. The Wildcats, No. 25 in The Orange County Top 25, defeated Marina last week, 35-14.
Centurions junior quarterback Justin Hall completed 14 of 18 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Cypress senior receiver Matt Rodriguez had five receptions for 85 yards including a 38-yard touchdown. Makkah Felix, another Cypress senior receiver, had five catches for 48 yards.
Cypress senior running back Jaiden Anthony rushed for 71 yards on nine carries.
Brea senior quarterback Gavyn Nicholson, tough and elusive, ran for 138 yards on 16 carries and scored both Wildcats touchdowns. He passed for 77 yards.
“Nightmares,” was Cypress coach Rick Feldman’s succinct summary of Nicholson.
Feldman said that when the Centurions’ offensive attack was able to spread Brea defenders around the field, that created opportunities.
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“We were hoping to push them around a little bit,” Feldman said. “And we didn’t. Then when we were able to spread them out a little bit, and it wasn’t great at first, but I think when we were able to get some quick passes off and that opened up the door.”
The first quarter ended 0-0. Cypress took a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 51-yard field goal by Peter Batsaras. A 51-yard field goal is impressive enough for a high-school kicker, and was even more impressive given that the Brea Olinda natural-turf field was as thick and lumpy as poorly-prepared gravy.
All five of Batsaras’ kickoffs were touchbacks.
Hall sent a deep pass to Rodriguez for a 38-yard touchdown and a 10-0 lead with 8:50 left in the half. A 3-yard touchdown pass from Hall to Xaiver Guerrero with 24 seconds remaining in the half pushed the lead to 17-0, which would be the halftime score.
Brea got its first touchdown midway through the third quarter on a 3-yard run by Nicholson. The kick failed, leaving the score at 17-6.
Cypress senior running back Louden Alijan scored on a 2-yard run with 9:11 to go in the fourth quarter for a 24-6 lead. Nicholson scored on an 18-yard run to make it 24-12; the kick for the extra-point try was blocked.
Rodriguez was pleased with how his team overcame the difficult start.
“We started off a little slow,” he said. “Their linebackers were getting into our backfield, sacking our quarterback. But our O-line rallied together and started blocking them and that opened up the pass, and the run opens up and then it goes our way.”
Cypress plays Eisenhower next Friday at Western High where Handel Stadium is the Centurions home field. Brea, which started its season with a 35-14 win over Marina, is at home next Friday against Northwood.
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