Prep football: Firing up for 2000

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Things are going so well for the Costa Mesa High

football team this spring, Coach Jerry Howell’s Mustangs haven’t waited

to celebrate.

The reigning Pacific Coast League co-champions, in fact, have and will

celebrate each Friday with a post-practice barbecue.

“We had a great first week, probably as good, or better than we’ve ever

had in spring,” said Howell, preparing for his sixth season at the helm.

“We’re executing plays and doing things super. When we finish practice,

everyone is smiling and laughing.”

And, each Friday, eating, too.

“The parents are putting on a barbecue for us every Friday,” said Howell,

whose squad opened spring drills May 15.

Among the reasons for such good humor is a corps of veteran leadership,

which has set a serious tone and taken great strides to integrate the

younger players into the system.

“More than any group I’ve had, these kids have self-discipline,” Howell

said. “We normally hand out a T-shirt for leadership at the end of each

week, but we couldn’t narrow it down to one or two kids after the first

week. Everyone is talking to each other and helping one another learn.”

The Mustangs are learning more complexity on offense, as Howell and

offensive coordinator Tom Baldwin, who guided the defense the last

several years, are trying to “make people play multiple defenses against

us.”

Howell said his brain trust will enact that plan by using multiple

formations.

“We want to be a little more wide open on offense this year. We’ll spend

more time this spring on offense than defense.”

The major change defensively is the man in charge, as Matt Kellogg takes

over for Baldwin as the architect of the aggressive four-four scheme.

Howell also is happy with the addition of assistant Kent Paul, who has

taught at Mesa for years, but had coached elsewhere, until Howell lured

him on board.

Personnel questions abound, but Patrick Hulliger, who will be a senior,

appears entrenched at quarterback.

Howell, in fact, said a challenge will come in finding how to allocate a

handful of talented skill-position players.

Among those is C.J. Zuniga, who rushed for 2,015 yards and scored 28

touchdowns en route to All-CIF Southern Section Division IX accolades as

a junior.

Nick Cabico, who spent his sophomore season starting for Mater Dei last

fall, is back in the program. He saw varsity action as a Mustang freshman

in ‘98, when he carried seven times for 29 yards in a first-round playoff

loss to Irvine.

Among those Howell also holds promise for is Keola Asuega, the primary

ball carrier last fall for a strong freshmen squad.

ALL-CIF returner Luther Mitchell anchors things on the offensive front,

though Howell would like to see others step forward and claim starting

spots in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

The Mustangs are practicing three days a week, typically Monday,

Wednesday and Friday, through June 16. There is no spring game scheduled.

They’re coming off an 8-3 campaign, which included their fourth straight

trip to the playoffs, a school record.

“Our goals this season are to win back-to-back PCL titles, which has

never been done at this school, to be playing playoff games in December

and to get the Bell (perpetual trophy which goes to the winner of the

cross-town showdown with Estancia) back,” Howell said.