Prep football: Retracing its steps

Barry Faulkner

WESTMINSTER - The Costa Mesa High football team returns to Orange

County opposition Friday night. The Mustangs also return to the site of

their lone setback this season when they invade Westminster High to

battle nonleague foe Ocean View at 7 p.m.

Westminster’s Bill Boswell Field was the scene of Mesa’s 22-16 loss to

Westminster Sept. 15, a score that surprised many, including those in the

Mesa camp.

The Mustangs (2-1), under first-year coach Dave Perkins, rebounded

with a 58-20 rout of Centennial High of Canada last week.

First-year coach Sean Simpson’s Seahawks (1-2) also rebounded last

week, defeating Century, 26-8. Ocean View absorbed back-to-back thumpings

from Twentynine Palms, 38-13, and Whittier Christian, 38-3, its first two

games.

“(Ocean View) bounced back and kicked the snot out of Century,”

Perkins said. “(The Seahawks) are all fired up and they’ve got momentum.

We need to jump out on top and make bad things happen for them.”

Plenty of good things have happened for the Mustangs this year, but

Perkins believes his team has yet to put a complete game together.

“We need to continue to improve ourselves,” Perkins said. “We’ve got

to show up and play both sides of the football. That’s our goal. If we do

that for a couple games, we should be ready for league.”

Perkins was speaking of the Pacific Coast League, but this game marks

the third Golden West League foe the Mustangs have met this fall. Mesa

will join Ocean View, Westminster, Saddleback, Santa Ana, crosstown rival

Estancia and Orange in the Golden West League next season.

But, while the Mustangs will be attempting to leave an impression on

their future league rivals Friday, they will also be attempting to avenge

a disappointing 29-7 loss to the Seahawks last season.

That loss, which surprised the previously unbeaten Mustangs, may also

have wound up costing them an at-large berth in the CIF Southern Section

Division IX playoffs.

The playoffs are probably not a feasible goal for the Seahawks, who

are attempting to replace a core group that produced back-to-back

postseason appearances by starting six sophomores.

Experience won’t be the only advantage for Costa Mesa, which also

enjoys superior size and depth.

The Mustangs have shared the wealth offensively, with 16 ball carriers in three games. Foremost among the running backs is junior Keola Asuega,

who has 285 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries.

Nick Cabico, who sat out last week with a sore hamstring, and Jesse

Cardenas, both seniors, have combined for more than 300 rushing yards.

Cabico has also accounted for four TDs.

The backfield will be shuffled this week as Cabico moves from wingback

to tailback, Asuega from tailback to fullback and Cardenas from fullback

to wingback.

Senior quarterback A.J. Perkins has thrown for 247 yards and five TDs

(19 of 48) with only one interception. He has also rushed for a

touchdown.

Mesa’s defense, which should crowd the line of scrimmage against Ocean

View’s wing T offense, has helped the Mustangs post a plus-six turnover

ratio. The Mustangs are shifting from their double flex to a more

traditional 4-3 scheme this week, a move Dave Perkins believes better

suits his personnel.

Ocean View is paced offensively by sophomore quarterback Alex

Hickerson, a 6-3, 190-pounder who has thrown for 358 yards and two TDs.

He has completed 25 of 56 with two interceptions.

Sophomore running backs Ryan Morejon and Aaron Gonya have also been

key performers for Simpson, who as an assistant at Downey High last year,

helped the Vikings post a 12-1 record and reach the CIF Division II

semifinals.

It’s the fourth meeting between the two schools. Costa Mesa has won

two of the previous three.