Mustangs set to charge

Barry Faulkner

GARDEN GROVE - When Chick Hearn coined the term “matador defense,”

he didn’t have Bolsa Grande High in mind. But when the Costa Mesa High

football team visits the Garden Grove League’s Matadors tonight at 7

o’clock for a nonleague contest, Hearn’s metaphor could ring resoundingly

true.

A 33-13 season-opening setback against Westminster extended Bolsa

Grande’s losing streak to 13. During the drought, the Matadors have

allowed 536 points, an average of more than 41 per game, including a pair

of 50-plus outputs and a 71-spot to Los Amigos last fall.

The Mustangs, on the other hand, are coming off an impressive 28-19 debut

victory over Saddleback, in which junior tailback C.J. Zuniga rushed for

172 yards and scored four touchdowns.

In addition to Zuniga, senior quarterback Dave Weir triggered the

Mustangs upscaled passing attack, completing 4 of 8, all but one attempt

coming before halftime, for 95 yards.

Senior tight end Willy Franco had two catches for 61 yards, while

wideouts Shaun Ferryman and Louis Day combined for 34 yards with one

reception apiece.

Mesa is ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division IX.

Bolsa, which lost prolific passer Doug Baughman to graduation, was

expected to emphasize the run this fall. But, after being held to

negative yards through three quarters against Westminster, sophomore

George Orozco came off the bench to throw for 83 yards, including a

29-yard scoring hookup with Jesse Jasso for the team’s only offensive

touchdown.

Defensive lineman An Ha scooped up a fumble and raced 75 yards to paydirt

for the other Bolsa score, which cut into Westminster’s 33-0 lead.

“Westminster played aggressively on defense and messed up their schemes,”

Mesa Coach Jerry Howell said.

Howell and veteran defensive coordinator Tom Baldwin will unleash more of

the same from the Mustangs’ four-four alignment, which could pose even

more problems for Coach Steve Howard’s hosts.

Mesa’s defense yielded 296 yards of total offense to Saddleback, but the

Roadrunners boast substantially more talent than Bolsa, which has not

been to the CIF playoffs since 1987.

Mesa, building on three straight postseason appearances, can’t afford to

become complacent, according to Howell.

“We’re looking for improvement,” Howell said. “Typically, the improvement

from the first game to the second is the biggest of the season and we

need to make that big jump this week.”

Mesa is led defensively by senior linebackers Jason Rankin, Ferryman and

Weir. Junior outside ‘backer Patrick Hulliger and junior end Daniel

Hunter were each in on two of the Mustangs five sacks last week.

It’s the first meeting since 1985 between the two schools, which have

split their previous six meetings.