George Toia sparks Summit football past Huntington Beach, into CIF semifinals

• November 16, 2024

FONTANA — George Toia will probably be a defensive lineman at the next level like two of his brothers, who are college seniors.

On Friday night, the 6-foot-2, 305-pound sophomore turned to the offensive side of the ball and ran for four touchdowns to lead Summit to a 45-14 victory over Huntington Beach in a CIF-Southern Section Division 5 quarterfinal.

Summit (11-1), which has a nine-game winning streak, will face La Serna in a semifinal next week.

“We decided to have George run the ball more because we thought we needed to control the ball,” Summit coach Nicholas Matheny said. “Every week it’s been a different guy for us. Last week, Daniel Bonilla scored three touchdowns for us.”

Mark Mitchell III, who gained 170 yards on 20 carries, joined the party with a 3-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. Mitchell’s score gave the Skyhawks a 28-14 lead with 8:53 to play in the third quarter.

“Mark gave me some pointers on running the ball,” Toia said. “He and Daniel are special to me.”

Toia carried only six times for 53 yards, but all of his attempts were crucial to Summit’s victory. In addition to the four touchdowns, he kept drives alive with two fourth-down runs.

Pinned at their own 15-yard line with a fourth-and-1, Summit set up for a punt before calling a timeout with 3:53 left in the third quarter. After the timeout, the Skyhawks lined up in a regular formation and Toia burst out for a 33-yard gain. Toia also had a 4-yard run on fourth down to keep a third-quarter drive going.

Jay Toia is a defensive lineman at UCLA, while his other brother, Spine, is a senior at San Jose State. George Toia envisions himself as a defensive lineman in college.

“I’ll do whatever the team needs,” Toia said.

Huntington Beach (7-5) had no answers to bring down Toia.

“We knew they (Summit) were a big, physical team,” Huntington Beach coach Brett Brown said. “Our kids played hard all game and they didn’t give up. We answered them in the first half, but we made too many mistakes in the second half.”

The highlight for the Oilers came in the second quarter. Quarterback Brady Edmunds completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Steel Kurtz with 4:07 remaining in the first half.

Kicker Mattheo Zavala attempted an onside kick and made the recovery himself. Two plays later, Edmunds completed a 51-yard touchdown pass to Troy Foster to tie the score at 14.

“We practiced receiving onside kicks all week,” Matheny said.

The Summit coach wasn’t unhappy for long, as quarterback Francisco Hernandez completed a 48-yard touchdown pass to Nickolas Miramontes with 1:24 remaining. Summit did not relinquish the lead after that.

“We had a good season and we have a lot of young players,” Brown said. “We got an automatic (playoff berth) and that was an accomplishment.”

​ Orange County Register 

Murrieta Mesa football tops Northwood to reach CIF-SS Division 6 semifinals

• November 16, 2024

MURRIETA — Murrieta Mesa’s football team is returning to the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 semifinals for the second consecutive year, but Coach Oscar McBride wasn’t smiling Friday night.

Oh, he most certainly is proud of the Rams’ achievement. But the effort and execution in a 19-10 victory over Northwood, in his opinion, left much to be desired.

Alex Krishan kicked four field goals to bail out the Rams, whose seven trips deep into Northwood territory were blunted by penalties and netted only one touchdown, Daniel Richie’s 1-yard leap with 1:50 left in the second quarter. Krishan connected twice from 29 yards, and added a 42-yarder and a 25-yarder to propel Murrieta Mesa (8-4) into next week’s matchup at St. Francis in La Cañada Flintridge. St. Francis topped Muir, 28-27, on Friday.

“I’m really not happy,” McBride glowered. “We left probably five touchdowns down here. Thank God for our kicker, Alex. Outstanding player, phenomenal character. He’s a stud.”

The numbers, though, will return a smile to McBride’s face.

The hosts amassed 441 yards in offense against a Timberwolves squad that had limited opponents to an average of 226.5 yards per game. And the Murrieta Mesa defense limited Northwood to 154 totals yards, which included four sacks of quarterback Gavin Lounsbury for 34 yards in losses. The Rams surrendered three first downs in the second half.

But the penalty bug hit Murrieta Mesa often. The Rams were flagged 20 times for 206 yards, including four dead-ball personal foul penalties after a play was over.

“I think it was anxiety,” McBride said about the mental lapses. “They controlled the tempo in the first half, and usually we control the tempo. They got us out of our element by slowing the game down.

“We’re an up-tempo, fast-paced team. I really don’t want to go back to the huddle. I don’t want to give them time to think about the mistake that was just made. I want them to get on the ball and play. Next play … next play.”

Once the Rams found their rhythm, they were difficult to stop – until the penalty flags flew. Quarterback Trey Gamble Jr. completed 20 of 28 passes for 316 yards. Dez’mun Franklin used his quickness to snag six passes for 123 yards. Cooper Murphy had a 65-yard catch-and-and run among his four receptions or 86 yards.

“This team just beat us. I’m not going to make excuses. They beat us,” Northwood coach JC Clarke said. The Timberwolves, who missed the playoffs in 2023 after winning the Division 8 title in 2022 and the Division 11 crown in 2021, finish their season with a 9-3 record.

Lounsbury’s strong arm kept Northwood in the game after the Rams took a 13-3 lead with 1:50 to play in the half. He threaded a perfect pass over the secondary that Issac Kwon hauled in for a 39-yard touchdown with 39 seconds to play, cutting the lead to 13-10.

But Northwood never mounted a threat in the second half. Lounsbury finished with 13 completions for 174 yards. Kwon caught six passes for 94 yards.

​ Orange County Register 

Dana Hills football defeats San Dimas with game-winning field goal

• November 16, 2024

SAN DIMAS — Second-seeded Dana Hills kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired to pull out a 38-35 win over San Dimas in a CIF-Southern Section Division 6 quarterfinal game Friday night.

The Dolphins (10-2) will play the winner of the Glendora/Rancho Verde game in a semifinal matchup next Friday at a place TBD.

The two teams combined for 838 yards of offense in an old-fashioned shootout. It appeared they were headed for overtime when the Saints (9-3) tied the score with 50 seconds left on a nine-yard run by Caleb Morquecho.

The Dolphins took the kickoff and went 70 yards capped by junior Deven Meyer zu Drewer’s 20-yard field goal to win it.

“I was really excited to kick the field goal,” Meyer zu Drewer said. “I was a little nervous but, it’s just a football game.”

The key play on the drive was a 46-yard pass from Dolphins Vanden Dugger to Aiden Desormiers to the Saints’ 12-yard line.

Dugger was being chased out of the pocket, getting rid of the ball just as he got to the line of scrimmage.

“We needed a goal-line stand to win our game last week,” Dolphins coach Tony Henney said. “This week we had some unsung guys make plays on the final drive to give us the win. The fans got their money’s worth.”

The Dolphins scored first when Dugger looked like he was just throwing the ball away to avoid a sack when tight end Charlie Eckl grabbed the ball off his shoe tops and took it 55 yards for the score.

The Saints came right back, tying the score on a 35-yard pass from Aaron Gomez to Jacob Gallegos with 6:04 left in the first quarter.

“We got two good teams in the quarterfinals,” Saints coach Mark Holman said. “I wish we could have had one more possession but, they made one more play than we did. This is a tough loss for our seniors, they’re a really good group and I’m proud of the whole team.”

The Saints took a 14-7 lead with 10:30 left in the second quarter. On the Dolphins’ next drive, the Saints’ Julian Vigil intercepted a Dugger pass in the end zone.

Two plays later, Dolphins linebacker Grant Peters batted an Aaron Gomez pass and made a diving interception before the ball hit the ground giving them the ball at the Saints’ 17.

Two plays Dugger ran it in from four yards out, tying the game.

With the Saints leading by a touchdown and only four seconds left in the first half, the Dolphins decided to go for it rather than take the field goal.

Dugger hit his favorite receiver, Cameron Weaver with an 11-yard scoring pass as time expired.

“I knew this was going to be a touchdown wins games,” Henney said. “A field goal won it at the end but, in the first half I felt we needed to go for it.”

​ Orange County Register 

Simi Valley stops La Habra, reaches Division 3 football semifinals

• November 16, 2024

SIMI VALLEY — Simi Valley’s season came down to the hands of a freshman.

While touchdowns were aplenty in Friday night’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoff football game between Simi Valley and La Habra, a defensive play by freshman Salvador Villa sealed the victory for the Pioneers.

Trailing by seven with 23 seconds left in the game, La Habra quarterback Kenneth Saucedo looked for his tight end Ulavai Fetuli in the end zone.

Saucedo already connected with Fetuli for two touchdowns in the first half, but this time around, Villa leaped alongside Fetuli and snatched the ball from him in midair.

It was the exclamation point on a defensive effort that saw Simi Valley hold La Habra to zero second-half points, finalizing a 41-34 Division 3 quarterfinal victory for the Pioneers.

“They were running the same play over and over. So I anticipated that they were going to throw a tight end pop because as you saw earlier they got me on that,” Villa said. “He goes for a flat, the other tight end comes from a drag, I just read it and be athletic right there and make a big play for my team.”

“In the first half they threw the touchdown to (Fetuli) in the corner and (Villa) was right on him. I think he learned and that wasn’t going to happen again,” Simi Valley head coach Jim Benkert said. “He made a great play, pulled the ball away. Give those guys some credit, that ball was thrown right on the money and Sal just made a great play.”

The first half featured an offensive spree by both teams, with eight touchdowns scored between them.

Saucedo had 147 rushing yards in the first half, including an 80-yard touchdown run that gave La Habra a 27-14 advantage.

Running backs Bobby Brooks and Kevika Martinez also scored rushing touchdowns in the first half for La Habra.

But Simi Valley’s defense was determined to shut down the run in the second half, and didn’t allow La Habra to get back on the scoreboard.

“We came out slow. They came out prepared. Coaches gave us a good halftime speech, told us to play like the team like we’ve been playing these 10 weeks,” Villa said about the defense’s second-half turnaround. “We came out fired up and prepared and just executed.”

Simi Valley quarterback Tagg Harrison led his team through the air, throwing for 310 yards and two touchdowns, including an 85-yard touchdown to Quentin McGahan that gave his team the lead down the stretch.

Harrison connected with five different receivers including Jayden Clarke who scored a 31-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

“We have so many weapons it’s so easy to spread the ball around. One week one guy is getting it, another week this guy is getting five touchdowns,” Harrison said. “It’s helpful to be able to put the ball in anyone’s hands it will work either way.”

Coming off a five-touchdown performance in the first round of the playoffs last week, Simi Valley running back Brice Hawkins scored three rushing touchdowns.

The senior finished with 61 rushing yards and added 33 receiving yards.

Brooks finished with 160 rushing yards and Martinez had 64 rushing yards for La Habra.

​ Orange County Register 

Wilson holds off Estancia to reach Division 12 football semifinals

• November 16, 2024

HACIENDA HEIGHTS – The Wilson Wildcats have advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 12 playoffs after a dominant 27-12 win over Estancia Friday night at Los Altos High School and will play next week at Carter High School.

Dominic Ezeonye ran the ball 23 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns in their convincing win. Defensively, he was a force, causing havoc in the Eagles backfield from the edge rusher position, having multiple rushes, including a sack in the first quarter.

“I just think, ‘Run, ball, score,” Ezeonye said. “No matter who hits me. No matter what happens, just keep running. Pick up your feet. Drag however many people you want to the end zone. Just, ‘Score score score.’ That’s all that’s going through my mind.”

Ezeonye’s performance put him just 60 yards shy of reaching 2,000 yards this season. He also has 28 touchdowns this year.

“Dom preps like no other. Takes care of his body, lifts hard, runs hard and he’s a workhorse,” Wilson coach Charles Lewis said.

The Wildcats scored on their first three possessions to begin the game. Enezonye scored the first two Wilson touchdowns. The first came from a 14-yard run. The second was a 20-yard run. Sean Lawson scored the third offensive touchdown of the night for Wilson with a 60-yard reception.

Wilson’s leading receiver was Brian Silva who connected with quarterback Juaquin Villalobos three times for 67 yards. Silva’s longest reception was on the Wildcats’ first offensive drive on a 58-yard pass that put them near the end zone. Villalobos went seven for eight with 157 yards.

Estancia’s first score came on its second offensive possession of the game.

Facing a third-and-long situation, the Eagles drew up a wide receiver pass trick play that resulted in a 40-yard reception by Andru Durazo. Running back Jeff Brown finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 7-7.

The Wildcats’ offense did not come near the end zone again until late in the second quarter. With less than 30 seconds left before half and the clock ticking, quarterback Heriberto Sanchez had a 15-yard completion to Joseth Zarate Groth.

With five seconds left on the clock, the Eagles elected to kick a 35-yard field goal to make the game 21-10 at halftime.

Sanchez completed 8 of 23 passes for 109 yards. Zarate Groth was Estancia’s leading receiver with 81 yards.

Estancia’s offense found success by running the ball with Jeff Brown who had 82 yards. Despite Brown’s success, Estancia had a hard time sustaining a decent drive in the second half and only scored one more time from a safety that was called on a blocked punt in the third quarter.

“We’re primarily a run team,” Estancia coach Mike Bargas said prior to the start of the game. “When we’re able to run the ball well and have success, it kind of makes for a pretty good football game.”

Sanchez threw two interceptions in the game. The first came in the third quarter to Wilson cornerback Noah Becerra who made a great play jumping the receiver’s route and taking the ball downfield 23 yards to give the game its final score. It was the second straight game Becerra had an interception.

“It felt great. And I got a touchdown.” Becerra said.

“My defense they showed up tonight,” Lewis said. “They like to run the ball and we stood up to the test of playing hard physical football. Playing gap sound and making tackles.”

The second interception was on a deep ball to the middle of the field where Lawson was standing all alone to nearly ice the game in the fourth quarter.

“Me and Sean always hang out a lot at school. … We always push each other at practice,” Becerra said. “We just keep pushing.”

With five seconds left until halftime Estancia nails a 35-yard field goal to decrease their deficit at 11 @SGVNSports @ocvarsity

Game is now at halftime

Wilson: 21
Estancia: 10 pic.twitter.com/Ti9ZqP0hkR

— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) November 16, 2024

Postgame interview tonight with Dominic Ezeonye who has ab2 touchdown performance for the Wildcats tonight @SGVNSports pic.twitter.com/mNjP1Mavhh

— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) November 16, 2024

Spoke with Wilson’s Noah Becerra who had a interception for a touchdown in the third quarter. We also talked about his teammate Sean Lawson who had one in the fourth quarter. Lawson also had a 60 yard touchdown reception @SGVNSports pic.twitter.com/vUY8NG0WeI

— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) November 16, 2024

Wilson coach Charles Lewis spoke with me about his running back Dominic Eseonye’s performance and the physicality his defense had following tonight’s game @SGVNSports pic.twitter.com/sqIjHd3BlI

— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) November 16, 2024

​ Orange County Register 

Foothill football builds big lead, then holds off Lakewood on final play in quarterfinals

• November 16, 2024

TUSTIN — The Foothill football team’s last ride with coach Doug Case at the helm rolls on.

Next stop: the CIF-SS semifinals.

Gino Marchetti threw three touchdown passes to Nico Mancini and running back Nathan Gouvion added two scores as the Knights held on to beat Lakewood 38-35 in the CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinals on Friday night at Tustin High.

The Knights (7-5) advance to face Palos Verdes (7-5) in the semifinals, and they extended Case’s tenure at least one more week. Case is retiring at the end of the season.

The Knights are also just one win away from their first CIF-SS finals appearance since 2002.

Lakewood had an opportunity at the end to the grab the victory, but Kade Casillas’ last-second heave to Caleb Tafua fell incomplete, setting off a jubilant celebration on the Foothill sideline.

“It came down to the last play,” Case said. “As a spectator you can’t ask for anything else, but as a coach, it gives me a heart attack.”

The Knights beat third-seeded Moorpark in the first round and will now host No. 2 seed Palos Verdes on Friday, Nov. 22.

The Lancers (7-5) scored on their first two possessions to take a 14-7 lead, but Foothill then scored 28 consecutive points for a 35-14 lead.

The Knights tied the game on Gouvion’s 28-yard run and forced a Lakewood punt late in the first half.

Foothill took over at their own 25 and scored in just 42 seconds later, using a 25-yard catch by Troy Naulty to flip the field. Marchetti and Mancini capped the drive with a lovely back-shoulder throw and catch that went for a 14-yard score and a 21-14 halftime advantage.

The Knights continued displaying their big-play ability in the third quarter with a 67-yard catch by Mancini less than a minute into the second half and a 40-yard run by Gouvion gave them a 35-14 lead.

“We had the ball in the second half and we went big right away. And then another touchdown by Gouvion. It was exciting,” Case said.

Mancini finished with four catches for 162 yards and three scores and Gouvion ran for 186 yards and two TDs.

“We gave up explosive plays,” Lakewood coach Justin Utupo said. “Foothill did a good job of running the ball to the boundary, and their receivers made the plays they needed to make.”

The Lancers responded late in the third quarter when Tafua caught a 10-yard TD pass from Casillas

The game started the shift when the Knights committed their only turnover early in the fourth quarter.

A snap went over Marchetti’s head and as he tried to corral it, a Lakewood player landed on him and he reinjured his throwing shoulder.

The Lancers capitalized on that turnover when JoJo Apisala scored a TD on a 5-yard run to bring Lakewood within seven points.

Knights backup quarterback Jake Lind came into the game on the next drive and completed one pass that went for 41 yards to Naulty. The Knights got a 29-yard field goal from Colton Thorne to take a 38-28 lead.

Utupo was hoping for a crucial stop and an opportunity to tie the game, but instead Naulty got free and made an important catch.

“They kept the tight end home in the run game and then caught us sleeping with the tight end pop,” Utupo said. “That kept the drive alive. Their kicker made the field goal and we go down 10.”

Apisala, who rushed for 153 yards, added an 18-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter.

Case now has 219 career wins between his time at Rancho Alamitos and Foothill, which places him in a tie with Terry Henigan, the longtime Irvine coach.

“We’re looking to get back to the finals but we can’t overlook Palos Verdes by any means,” Case said, “but if we want to get to the show then we have to take care of business next week.”

​ Orange County Register 

Newbury Park football wins battle with San Clemente in CIF-SS quarterfinals

• November 16, 2024

SAN CLEMENTE — Entering Friday, no team had taken the lead against Newbury Park’s football team this season.

San Clemente had the lead twice, but fell to Newbury Park 24-13 in a CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal game at San Clemente High.

Newbury Park (12-0) entered the game as one of just four undefeated teams in the Southern Section. The Panthers will host Yorba Linda in the semifinals next week.

San Clemente (6-6) was an at-large team from the Alpha League. The Tritons beat Damien of La Verne in the first round.

“The kids have played some really tough teams this year and I give them credit,” San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz said. “After we lost to Mission Viejo (in the Alpha League), it could have been woe is us, but the kids battled back and beat two good teams.”

San Clemente led 7-3 at halftime and 13-10 entering the fourth quarter. Newbury Park kept its composure and regained control of the game in the fourth quarter.

“It’s unbelievable. We were ready for adversity,” Newbury Park coach Joe Smigiel said. “That is culture. When you’re a family, you don’t point fingers, you stay strong and get after people. That’s what we did.”

Newbury Park regained the lead early in the fourth quarter on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Brady Smigiel to Drew Cofield to take a 17-13 lead.

Smigiel, who is battling an injury he suffered in the first round against San Jacinto, threw for 210 yards with a touchdown and ran for a touchdown.

“A lot of kids’ dreams are to play college football and the NFL. My dream since I was a kid was to play Newbury Park football,” Smigiel said. “I was a ball boy here. To be able to come out here, my dad is the head coach, my brother is a receiver, it really is a dream come true.”

“I don’t talk about my son very much, but I’m so proud of him for a lot of reasons,” Coach Smigiel said. “He wasn’t himself tonight and they knew it. He just battled. To see what he did through adversity and being at maybe 60 percent, this is a time I’ll talk about him and how proud I am.”

There were three turnovers in five plays in the fourth quarter. Newbury Park hit San Clemente quarterback Jack Ferguson which caused the ball to pop up and Balen Betancourt intercepted a pass.

Two plays later, San Clemente defensive lineman Theo Preisler recovered a fumble to give the Tritons the ball back. On the ensuing play, Cofield intercepted a deep pass to give the ball back to Newbury Park.

“We had momentum on our side and they took it back over,” Ortiz said. “You play a quality team like that, you only get so many chances. They capitalized in the second half and made some good plays.”

Smigiel led Newbury Park on a 5-minute scoring drive and ran for a 3-yard touchdown to put the game away with one minute remaining.

“That’s the best defense we’ve seen this season and probably the best defense I have faced in my career,” Brady Smigiel said. “The coaches prepare us for adversity. I would compare our practices to boot camp. It’s not the most fun thing in the world, but it’s sure worth it when you come back and beat a good San Clemente team.”

Jack Ferguson threw for 235 yards with a touchdown for San Clemente. Cole Herlean had 128 yards receiving with a touchdown and Colin Kohl ran for 80 yards with a score.

Newbury Park opened the game with a six-minute drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal by Bohdie Ing to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.

San Clemente took the lead late in the second quarter on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Ferguson to Herlean to put the Tritons in front 7-3 at halftime.

The play was the first touchdown Newbury Park had allowed in four games dating back to October 10 against Calabasas and the first time the Panthers trailed this season.

Smigiel made an option pitch to Shane Rosenthal for a touchdown midway through the third quarter.

On the final play of the fourth quarter, Kohl picked up a bobbled pitch and ran the opposite direction for a 3-yard touchdown run which gave the Tritons a 13-10 lead.

Blake Bryce, Michael Guzman and Carter Taylor had sacks for Newbury Park.

Lee Puka Fuimaono had an interception in the second quarter for San Clemente. The turnover was just the third interception of the season for Smigiel.

Ferguson converted a big fourth down on a 20-yard pass to Max Kotiranta which led to the touchdown run by Kohl.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County firefighter returns home from hospital weeks after rollover crash that left 8 injured

• November 16, 2024

Firefighter Andrew Brown returned home to Orange County on Friday after being discharged from Colorado’s Craig Hospital following a fire utility truck rollover accident in September. Brown was one of eight fire personnel driving back from a 12-hour shift spent battling the Airport Fire in Orange County.

On Sept. 19, eight firefighters with the Orange County Fire Authority were involved in a solo crash rollover at around 6:50 p.m. on the northbound 241 Toll Road just north of Portola Avenue in Irvine. Six were seriously injured and two sustained minor injuries.

Seven of the firefighters were transported via ambulance to several hospitals and one was transported by an OCFA helicopter to another local hospital.

Brown was flown to Colorado on Oct. 2 to begin six weeks of intense rehabilitation at the Craig Hospital that specializes in neurorehabilitation. Brown sustained injuries to his beck, shoulder and spinal cord, according to KCAL News.

On Friday, Nov. 15, Brown walked off a plane at the John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. In a video posted by the OCFA on Facebook, a room full of firefighters were waiting to welcome Brown back home.

“I was very concerned if I was ever going to be able to walk again or move my arms again,” Brown said in an interview by the OCFA. In that interview, Brown spoke about his limited memory of the accident, rehabilitation and what has been giving him strength in the months since the life-altering accident.

“With my initial injury, with my initial assessment, they expected me to leave the ICU on a ventilator and lying on a bed for at least a couple of months,” Brown said. He reported being off the ventilator within a couple of days after undergoing a surgery.

“I’ve gone a lot further in my recovery than I thought I was going to … It’s just blown me away at how much I’ve been able to accomplish. Like walking, and even walking up stairs.”

Recalling the night of the accident, Brown remembers the fire truck starting to tilt. His next memory is waking up outside of the vehicle.

“It was chaos, I didn’t move a muscle,” he said. Brown remembered the paramedics arriving and being loaded into an ambulance to be taken to the emergency room. “I remember being really scared and frightened during the ambulance ride that I was going to die. …I was just praying that God would take care of my wife who’s pregnant and that was my biggest concern, that’s all I could think about during the ambulance ride,” Brown said.

Brown said he draws his strength from his family in California, his wife, and their soon-to-be daughter. “I just want to be able to support my wife and hold my daughter and play with her some day. You know, throw her in the air and stuff. So, that was my biggest motivation to get back to normal is just being able to be a good husband and a good father.”

Brown said he would love to return back to the fire crew and go to the fire academy. “It’s a family I want to be able to return to, I think it’s the greatest job in the world.”

Brown provided advice for people who have suffered similar injuries. “Hold on to hope. Try to have the best attitude you can, every day. Some days are going to be hard and you’re going to feel like you’ve taken a step back but if you try to hold on to that good attitude and you put your best effort forward every day no matter how hard it is, you’re going to see more results.”

One firefighter from the Sept. 19 accident remains in rehabilitation at the Craig Hospital in Colorado.

The OCFA and its union, the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association Local 3631, set up a relief fund for the eight injured crew members via the Fallen Firefighter Relief Fund.

​ Orange County Register