Mesa thrashes Bolsa Grande, 52-0

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - There was plenty of Day on the football field Friday

night for Costa Mesa High.

Louis Day, the Mustangs’ 6-foot-3, 170-pound senior outside linebacker

and tight end, caused a season’s worth of havoc on Bolsa Grande as host

Costa Mesa whipped the Matadors, 52-0, in a nonleague game at Orange

Coast College.

In the first half, Day recovered two fumbles and made a huge block on

teammate Mike Gardiner’s 59-yard touchdown catch, then in the second half

sacked Bolsa Grande’s quarterback and forced another fumble.

On offense, Day hauled in a 36-yard touchdown catch on a perfectly

timed pass over the middle from senior quarterback Patrick Hulliger, one

of four scores in the third quarter for the Mustangs (2-0), who broke the

game open in the first 6:52 of the second half.

The Mustangs dominated the Matadors (0-2) and handed the Garden Grove

League representatives their 23rd loss in their last 24 starts. In that

streak, Bolsa Grande has been shut out three times -- twice by Costa

Mesa.

But Mesa Coach Jerry Howell, whose team racked up 441 net yards,

including a balanced attack on the ground (261 yards) and through the air

(153), wasn’t pleased with his team’s overall effort.

“We came out very flat, very sloppy,” Howell said. “In the first half,

we just started really slow. We did not come out and play Costa Mesa

football. But it was good we came out in the second half and got after

it.”

Sophomore running back Jason Hurley rushed for 83 yards and one

touchdown on seven carries to lead Costa Mesa’s ground game, while senior

tailback Alvin Nguyen gained 68 yards and scored three touchdowns on 10

carries for the Mustangs.

Junior Nick Cabico, who rushed for 174 yards in Mesa’s season-opening

victory over Saddleback, carried for 47 yards and sophomore Keola Asuega

added 40 yards and a touchdown on nine carries off the bench.

Costa Mesa’s passing game, under the direction of offensive

coordinator Tom Baldwin, once again produced big plays, as Hulliger

completed 7 of 12 throws for 140 yards and two touchdowns (with one

interception).

Nguyen capped Mesa’s first drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, then two

plays later Day recovered a Bolsa Grande fumble, the first of five

Matador turnovers.

Mesa cashed in.

Gardiner caught a pass over the middle, then juked three defenders on

a cutback, giving him most of the right sideline and only one man to beat

to reach paydirt. That’s when Day found an angle and absolutely crushed

Bolsa Grande’s Daniel Nevarez to spring Gardiner. Nevarez stayed on the

ground a few seconds.

Early in the second quarter, Mesa cornerback Josh Strickland

intercepted a pass, but the Mustangs could not take advantage.

After another defensive stop, Mesa scored again on Nguyen’s 40-yard

touchdown run with 3:49 left in the first half. Luis Avalos’ extra-point

kick gave Mesa a 21-0 edge.

On Bolsa’s ensuing series, Day stripped the Matadors’ quarterback and

recovered his second fumble.

“(Bolsa quarterback Alex Guadarrama) was keeping the ball out there

(exposed), and I just went out and took it,” Day said. “He was just there

and I grabbed it.”

Costa Mesa poured it on in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns

and a field goal on its four possessions.

Hurley found a wide-open hole up the gut in the second half’s second

play from scrimmage for a 54-yard touchdown run, then Mesa needed only

two plays again in its next series to score. Hulliger connected with Day

for 16 yards, then lobbed one to Day over the middle for a 36-yard

scoring pass.

Bolsa Grande turned the ball over for the fourth time on its next play

as Ben Oreman recovered for Mesa, allowing the Mustangs great field

position again (the Matadors’ 35).

Five plays later, Nguyen scored on a 1-yard run, after Cabico’s

13-yard carry set up the touchdown.

Bolsa punted after three plays and the Mustangs were in command this

time at the Matadors’ 34. Mesa’s drive was stopped at the Bolsa 14, then

Avalos booted a 31-yard field goal with 0:28 left for a 45-0 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Costa Mesa took over at the Bolsa 17-yard line,

after Day creamed Guadarrama on the pass rush and stripped the ball

loose. Kainoa Asuega was there for the Mesa recovery.

On fourth-and-10, Keola Asuega scored on a 10-yard run and Avalos

added another PAT for a 52-0 lead.