Prep football: Playing for pride

Barry Faulkner

IRVINE - In need of two victories and some help to earn one of the

Pacific Coast League’s three guaranteed CIF Southern Section Division IX

playoff berths, one could say the Costa Mesa High football team has its

back to the wall.

But, as the Mustangs (5-3, 1-2 in league) prepare for Friday’s 7 p.m.

date with league co-leader University (6-2, 3-0) at Irvine High, Mesa

Coach Jerry Howell believes it’s much worse than that.

“We’re basically playing for pride,” Howell said, after his team

squandered a 20-0 lead and lost, 34-27, to Estancia last week.

“We’re not going to get the Bell back and we’re not going to win the

PCL. We’ll just see how good a football team we are these next two weeks

and maybe we can knock somebody else off track.”

The Trojans, ranked No. 6 in CIF Division IX and winners of six of

their last seven, appear on track for a PCL title showdown Nov. 10

against Corona del Mar.

The Trojan defense, with three shutouts this season, may be the

league’s best and senior Jay Nichols, a quarterback, may be the circuit’s

best player.

Mesa standouts, meanwhile, continue to sustain nagging injuries and

the Mustangs have lost 3 of 5 since attaining the top Division IX ranking

with a 4-0 start.

To extend their school-record streak of four straight playoff

appearances, the Mustangs need to upset Uni, then take care of Northwood

Nov. 9.

If Estancia loses twice, the Mustangs would pass them in the

standings. And, if Uni loses twice, both would finish 3-2 and Mesa would

hold the head-to-head advantage.

But, as Howell points out, that’s a lot of ifs.

“We’re in a position where we can let everything go and try to win a

couple of football games,” Howell said.

The Mustangs could receive an at-large berth, but would likely need

another win to be a realistic candidate.

To beat Coach Mark Cunningham’s Trojans, the first order of business

is to contain Nichols. An All-CIF baseball player, the 6-foot,

205-pounder has been unstoppable in league play. He has rushed for six

touchdowns, thrown for five more and even returned an interception for a

score in last week’s 21-0 win over Northwood. The top-rated signal caller

in Orange County, Nichols has completed 65 of 134 for 1,096 yards and 10

TDs, with six interceptions.

The Uni offense also relies on senior back Nephi Wheeler (475 yards on

89 carries) and a balanced receiving corps that includes senior tight end

Kevin Conlin, a first-team all-league pick as a junior.

Mesa, plagued by turnovers and inconsistency on offense, will be

without tailback-outside linebacker Alvin Nguyen. The senior, who has 601

rushing yards and eight TDs on 79 carries, sustained a thigh bruise

against Estancia and will not play, according to Howell.

Junior Keola Asuega (590 yards and nine TDs on 113 attempts), who has

played little the last two weeks with a nerve injury in his foot, will

start at tailback.

If Asuega’s on-again-off-again status turns sour, Howell said he may

try junior Andrew Stickland, a backup quarterback, at tailback. Sophomore

fullback Jason Hurley (279 yards and three TDs on 40 carries) and junior

Nick Cabico (278 yards and two TDs on 37 attempts) are also options.

Cabico, who scored three TDs last week, leads the team with 37

receptions for 312 yards.

Louis Day, a Mesa senior inside linebacker who has also contributed at

tight end, is nursing a stinger in his shoulder and Mesa

quarterback-linebacker Patrick Hulliger sustained a concussion against

Estancia. Both are expected to play, but Hulliger will not start on

defense.

The Mustangs will also be without All-CIF offensive lineman Luther

Mitchell, expected to be held out for disciplinary reasons.

Mesa has beaten the Trojans three of the last four years, but Uni

leads the series, 8-7-1.