Prep football: Self-gratification

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The Costa Mesa High football team hosts Bolsa Grande

for a 7 p.m. nonleague game Friday at Orange Coast College. But the

Matadors are not the opponent Mesa Coach Jerry Howell is most interested

in conquering.

“The important thing, is how well we play,” Howell said. “Bolsa Grande

(1-22 its last 23 games) is an average team that shouldn’t give our guys

much of a run. But, I told our kids to look at what Los Alamitos did last

week against Washington of L.A.. (The Griffins) knew they were going to

win, but it was how they won. They won, 51-0, doing everything well. They

did the things they had to do the right way, which will help them

improve. We should win this game, but we need to get better.”

The Mustangs (1-0 and ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division

IX) were plenty impressive in a 48-23 opening win over Saddleback.

But Howell hopes to eradicate some general sloppiness and continue to

fine-tune his team’s passing game.

That passing game, triggered by senior quarterback Patrick Hulliger,

produced 127 yards, one touchdown and 12 completions in 22 attempts. It

was the most completions by a Mesa team in 104 games, dating back to

1990.

The Mustangs, however, did not forget their ground attack. Junior

tailback Nick Cabico, in his first varsity start, amassed 174 yards and

two TDs on 16 carries. He also caught five passes for 74 yards and a TD

and, with his return yardage, including an interception, he finished with

304 all-purpose yards.

In addition, senior Alvin Nguyen rushed for 92 yards and a two

touchdowns on seven carries, while fullback Daniel Hunter (62 yards) and

sophomore Jason Hurley (60 yards) also found plenty of room behind a line

anchored by senior returners Charlie Amburgey and Scott Schepens.

Hunter, also a starter at tight end, will sit out this week with a

sore ankle, a move Howell said was mostly precautionary.

Defensively, senior inside linebacker Louis Day led the way for Mesa

last week.

Bolsa Grande lost, 33-20, to Century in its opener, but those 20

points represented the fourth-highest total during the recent 23-game

struggle.

During that stretch, Coach Steve Howard’s Garden Grove League

representatives have surrendered 39.3 points per game. They have averaged

just more than 11 points during that span, but Costa Mesa, a 47-0 winner

last fall, is one of only two teams to shut Bolsa out.

The Matadors’ wing T offense features senior quarterback Alex

Guadarrama, who rushed for 43 yards and threw for 179 more (14 of 24 with

two TDs and two interceptions), before being carried off the field and

taken to the hospital.

Howard, however, said his 5-foot-5, 150-pound signal caller will be

fine for this week, when his favorite passing targets figure to be James

and Paul Bui. James caught four passes for 94 yards, including a 33-yard

TD, while Paul caught five passes for 38 yards and one TD.

“They’re probably a touchdown better than they were last year, but

they just don’t have any depth,” Howell said of the Matadors. “After

their first 14 kids, there’s a big drop off.”

Mesa, winner of five of its last six, is trying to start a season 2-0

for only the fourth time since 1986.