Costa Mesa Rolls to 63-0 Victory Against La Quinta

Costa Mesa, led by C.J. Zuniga’s 160 yards rushing and three touchdowns, cruised to a 63-0 victory against winless La Quinta Thursday at Newport Harbor High.

Costa Mesa (6-2), ranked No. 8 in Southern Section Division IX, led 56-0 at halftime, shattering the school record for points in a half. The margin of victory was the largest in school history as well.

“I liked our effort tonight,” Mustang Coach Jerry Howell said. “All of our guys from top to bottom played hard all the way to the end. That’s all you can ask.”

Zuniga ran at will over the most porous defense in Orange County, amassing 197 all-purpose yards in the first half before giving way to substitutes.

“Of course it would have been nice to see C.J. get the yardage, but you have to be respectful in a game like this,” Howell said.

Zuniga got on the scoreboard first with a 37-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive. A two-point conversion made it 8-0.

There was little offensive action in the second half, as La Quinta Coach Guy Gardner requested, and was granted, a running clock. The only score in the half came on Alvin Nguyen’s 16-yard touchdown run.

La Quinta (0-8), which dressed only 21 players for the game, has been outscored, 392-7, this season.