Mesa at Crossroads

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The Costa Mesa High football team hits the proverbial

fork in the road Friday when University invades for a 7 p.m. Pacific

Coast League contest of huge proportions at Orange Coast College.

Coming off a stunning 34-14 loss to Estancia in last week’s PCL opener,

Coach Jerry Howell’s Mustangs must win to retain hopes of claiming the

league title they openly covet. A loss would seriously hamper their

attempt to extend their school-record streak of advancing to the

postseason to four seasons.

“We’ve had a collapse in the family,” Howell said of last week’s loss.

“And we need to wait and see how our kids react to it. We can either heal

our wounds and go forward, or we can bicker, point fingers and go

backward.”

Hoping to impede the Mustangs’ progress will be a banged-up Uni squad

which has lost two straight to fall to 2-4. This is the first league game

for the Trojans, who were grouped among the title contenders after five

weeks.

Coach Mark Cunningham’s Trojans may, however, have the best quarterback

in the league in senior Pat Josten.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder has come out of nowhere to become what

Cunningham terms possibly the most talented signal caller in school

history. He has completed 56 of 100 for 861 yards and nine touchdowns,

with four interceptions. With at least four games left, he needs 379

passing yards to break the school single-season record. In addition, he

is a dangerous threat in the option utilized out of the Trojans’ wing T.

“He’s kept us in games,” Cunningham said.”He’s their best player,” Howell

said. “He runs the option well, he throws well, he runs the sneak well

and he breaks the pocket well.”

The Mustangs (4-2, 0-1 in league and ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern Section

Division IX) have been burned for 608 combined rushing yards in losses to

wing T practitioners Western and Estancia. So, defensive adjustments are

in order, according to Howell. Mesa has allowed only 335 combined rushing

yards to its four other opponents.

University’s running backs, however, can’t match Estancia or Western for

backfield talent. Senior Colin Cavanaugh, a coaches’ first-team All-PCL

choice last fall, has gained only about 200 yards. Junior Nephi Wheeler

has rushed for just more than 200 yards.

Senior Ben Messelbeck has 21 receptions for 306 yards.

The Trojans have been without first-team all-league defensive lineman

Frankie Gamboa (knee) and second-team all-league linebacker Jimmy Owen

(groin) in consecutive one-point losses to Saddleback and Santa Ana.

Their status for this week is uncertain.

Offensive productivity hasn’t been a concern for the Mustangs, who have

junior C.J. Zuniga battling for the Orange County rushing lead. Zuniga’s

203 yards on 34 carries against Estancia upped his season total to 1,112.

He also has 1,465 all-purpose yards and has scored 14 touchdowns.

Mesa quarterback Dave Weir has thrown for 453 yards and four touchdowns

(31 of 61) and has rushed for 236 yards and six TDs.

Shaun Ferryman and Willy Franco share the team lead with 11 receptions

for 185 and 162 yards, respectively.

Mesa committed seven turnovers in a 24-8 loss to Uni last season, which

improved the Trojans’ series lead to 8-6-1.