Prep footbal: Mesa’s Perkins peeved

Barry Faulkner

IRVINE - The battle cry of “Wait until next year,” just wouldn’t do

for Costa Mesa High football coach Dave Perkins Thursday night after a

31-6 Pacific Coast League-opening loss to Northwood at Irvine High.

Perkins, contending Northwood ran an illegal formation on what he

believed was an unnecessary 43-yard touchdown pass play with 2:31

remaining, made no secret of his displeasure with Northwood head coach

Rick Curtis in an emotional postgame diatribe at midfield.

Northwood coaches later said there was no deception intended and

nothing illegal about the play.

Perkins walked briskly past Curtis, shaking his hand, then began

unleashing his frustration verbally toward Northwood assistant coaches.

Northwood assistant coaches responded and a loud, heated exchange took a

few minutes to subside. The verbal disagreement did not become physical

and representatives from both schools took quick action to restore order.

Players were also quickly herded to their respective ends of the field.

“That was (expletive) and you know it,” Perkins barked more than once

at Northwood assistants, before being ushered back to a position closer

to his sideline. “You guys have no class, whatsoever,” Perkins then

yelled in the Northwood assistants’ direction. “You’re ridiculous. You

screwed up a good game.”

Curtis did not appear to be involved in the shouting, as he quickly

followed his team to the North end zone after running past Perkins.

Perkins eventually delivered an passionate speech to his players, in

which he told them they were going to “play your tails off, so we can win

our next four ballgames, make it to the playoffs and get another shot at

these (Timberwolves). I pray to God we see those guys again.”

Perkins then presented his position to reporters.

“That was not only an illegal play, but he was running up the score

(by passing),” Perkins said. “They had no reason to do that. They have a

very good football team and they beat us fair and square on the field.

Mr. Curtis knows better. He is an administrator (the boys athletic

director) at their school.”

Perkins said Northwood receiver Dave Anderson was never in the huddle,

but came off the sideline on the play. He was uncovered, when quarterback

Dan Tomcheck flipped him the ball at the Mesa 35-yard line and he

sprinted untouched into the end zone to finalize the scoring.

Though Curtis could not be found in the postgame crowd on the field,

several Northwood assistant coaches, as well as Tomcheck and Anderson,

said Anderson did break the huddle, but was simply uncovered on the play.

Tomcheck conceded he could see how Mesa would think the pass was

simply adding to a lead in a game that was already decided. But, Tomcheck

made reference to last year’s 57-7 Mesa win over Northwood, a game in

which all seven of the Mustangs’ offensive touchdowns were runs.

“They embarrassed us last year,” Tomcheck said. “They humiliated us. I

saw (Anderson) uncovered and I just threw it to him.”

Perkins, whose Estancia team defeated Northwood, 41-36, in last year’s

PCL opener, responded sharply to a question about last year’s

Northwood-Mesa game.

“I wasn’t even here (at Mesa) last year,” Perkins said.

Perkins also suggested Northwood failed to show compassion “for the

situation my kids have been going through,” a reference to the death of

senior linebacker Matt Colby one day after collapsing on the sideline

during a Sept. 28 game against Ocean View.

The postgame fireworks were much more than the Mustangs (4-2), who

came in with an Orange County-leading 208 points, could muster against

the Timberwolves (6-0), ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division IX.

“They kept us at our end of the field most of the night,” said

Perkins, whose offense managed just 179 yards and six first downs, two by

penalty.

Mesa punted seven times and Northwood punted once. The hosts, in their

second varsity season, had two fourth-down conversions on a 15-play,

56-yard touchdown drive that opened the scoring.

Tomcheck scored on a 1-yard sneak on the first play of the second

quarter, but Mesa, taking advantage of a John Garcia interception, closed

to within one on Omar Ruiz’s 22-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left

in the half.

The conversion kick, however, was blocked and Northwood scored on four

of its five second-half possession to earn the school’s first league

victory.

Nick Cabico led the visitors with 94 yards on 15 rushing attempts. He

also had an interception in the end zone to foil Northwood’s first

scoring threat.

The Mustangs managed just 23 passing yards and surrendered 160 rushing

yards to Kyle Keating.

Tomcheck finished with 165 yards passing.