The quick and the dead
Barry Faulkner
WESTMINSTER - The bigger they are ... the easier it is to run
around them to the quarterback.
That’s the philosophy the Costa Mesa High defense pins its hopes to when
the Mustangs visit Westminster Friday at 7 p.m. for a nonleague football
contest.
The Lions (1-1) boast a pair of hefty offensive tackles, including
6-foot-7, 345-pound senior Soli Letuli. With junior Mark Gallardo (6-1,
265) on the other side, Westminster’s two tackles have 65 pounds on the
combined weight of their two guards o7 andf7 center.
Mesa Coach Jerry Howell, however, looks at these ponderous dimensions and
sees opportunity.
“(The Lions) have some pretty good athletes, but I think their one
weakness is that their offensive line isn’t very quick,” Howell said. “I
don’t know how they’re going to pick us up.”
Picking up the eight defenders the Mustangs (2-0 and ranked No. 3 in CIF
Southern Section Division IX) bombard their opponent with on every snap,
has been problematic for their first two foes.
Mesa has amassed 12 quarterback sacks in successive victories over
Saddleback and Bolsa Grande and defensive coordinator Tom Baldwin will be
scheming to similarly harass All-Golden West League quarterback Kelly
Coburn.
Coburn, a senior, threw for nearly 2,293 yards and 20 touchdowns as a
junior and is the featured offensive weapon for third-year coach Ted
McMillen.
The 6-2, 200-pounder has thrown for 370 yards and three TDs this fall (22
of 52), but was intercepted four times by Estancia in last week’s 20-7
loss to the Eagles.
Westminster also relies heavily on 5-6, 150-pound darter Vince Laurel,
who has 155 receiving yards and two TDs on seven catches and has rushed
15 times for 76 yards and a TD.
Junior Christian Chamberlain is the team’s leading rusher (86 yards and a
TD on 14 attempts), but sophomore Jared Jenkins, a former national Punt
Pass and Kick champion, could get increased opportunities after showing
well off the bench last week (21 yards on five carries).
The Mustangs have shown plenty of offense thus far, with junior C.J.
Zuniga spearheading the ground game and senior quarterback Dave Weir
triggering an enhanced passing attack.
Zuniga has 290 yards and six touchdowns on 34 carries, while Weir has
thrown for 222 yards (11 of 21).
Weir lofted three TD tosses last week, the biggest single-game output by
a Mesa quarterback in 100 games, dating back to Ryan McEvoy’s four TD
passes in the 1990 season-opening win over Twentynine Palms.
A greater willingness to pass this season, has helped create the Mustangs
minus-two turnover ratio, which includes three interceptions. So, Howell
is hoping for better efficiency.
“We threw the ball better last week than we have since I’ve been here
(five seasons),” Howell said. “But we need to throw more consistently.”
Senior wideout Shaun Ferryman (five catches for 91 yards), senior tight
end Willy Franco (three for 69) and junior receiver Louis Day (three for
38) are Weir’s primary targets.
Defensively, inside linebackers Ferryman and Jason Rankin, outside
‘backers Weir and Patrick Hulliger, and a front four led by senior end
Todd Duddridge, have been superior.
Antony Grubisich and Fernando Aronna have also played well up front and
senior Robert Hulliger, who left the team in the summer, will start at
end after making up lost practice time. Robert Hulliger, who started 11
games as a junior, saw his first action in last week’s 47-0 trouncing of
Bolsa Grande.
Mesa is attempting to become only the fourth team to open 3-0 in the
school’s 40-year history, and also cut into Westminster’s 4-1 series
lead.
The Lions overcame 17 penalties and seven fumbles to defeat Bolsa, 33-14,
before being surprised by Estancia.
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