CdM impressive

Barry Faulkner

The Corona del Mar High football team not only won its season

opener Friday night against nonleague host Costa Mesa, it also won

impressively enough to bolster the preseason optimism surrounding

Coach Dick Freeman’s squad.

The Sea Kings scored on four of their first six possessions at

Newport Harbor High to open a 28-7 halftime cushion and cruised to a

35-15 triumph against a Costa Mesa team some believe will challenge

for the Golden West League crown.

“We think we can go all the way,” said CdM senior two-way lineman

John Daley, who might have appeared boastful, had he and his

teammates not backed it up with an impressive debut. “Our seniors

smell the (CIF Southern Section Division IX championship) ring.”

Freeman also hinted at the promise of CIF spoils during a brief

postgame address to his players. Freeman held his right index finger

above his head and said: “That’s one down, 13 to go (a reference to

the remaining games the Sea Kings would need to win to collect the

school’s third section crown).”

Senior tailback Mark Cianciulli was the star for the winners,

collecting 241 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns before sitting

out the fourth quarter. Cianciulli, an All-Pacific Coast League and

All-Newport-Mesa performer after rushing for 1,290 yards as a junior,

carried 20 times for 172 yards against a Mesa defense which

consistently packed eight defenders in the box.

Cianciulli opened the game by bouncing 32 yards off right tackle

and helped the Sea Kings regain firm control of the game with a

74-yard scoring sprint through the heart of the Mesa defense with

2:12 left in the first half. Cianciulli turned a screen pass into a

57-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to up the lead to 35-7.

“Our offensive line really played well tonight,” said Cianciulli,

who had 171 rushing yards by halftime. “They got me in the open, then

(fullback Matt Cooper) sprang me.”

CdM offensive tackles Andy Lujan and Danny Tarkesian, guards Daley

and John Hayes, center Jeff Wicken and tight end Kris Cooper clearly

controlled the trenches, especially in the first half for the Sea

Kings, ranked No. 8 in CIF Division IX.

Costa Mesa, ranked No. 7 in CIF Division VII, ran only four plays

in CdM territory before intermission, but also showed spurts of

productivity. Coach Dave Perkins’ Mustangs split their 220 yards of

offense nearly evenly between the run and the pass, as junior

quarterback Brian Knox came off the bench to complete 4 of 5 for 61

yards and a touchdown in the waning minutes.

Decorated senior returner Keola Asuega compiled 64 of his 79

rushing yards in the final two quarters, while both Nate Hunter (four

catches for 61 yards and a TD) and Tyler Waldron (two catches for 43

yards, including an over-the-shoulder grab of Tim Iller scoring bomb

that covered 40 yards) posted solid debuts.

The Iller-to-Waldron connection with 3:15 left before halftime,

followed by Hunter’s successful conversion kick, brought the Mustangs

within 14-7.

But Cianciulli broke for the 74-yard TD two plays later and, when

a Mesa returner ignored the ensuing kickoff, a live ball bounding

deep into Mustang territory, CdM’s Cody Perrott recovered at the 1.

Matt Cooper plunged in three plays later for a 28-7 cushion and

CdM’s defense did the rest.

Mesa, which had only one first down in the first half, used 10

plays to drive to the CdM 38 with the second-half kickoff. But CdM

cornerback Wess Presson tackled a receiver for a 3-yard gain on

fourth-and-eight, effectively curbing any Mesa momentum.

Still, Perkins was not discouraged with his team’s performance.

“(The Sea Kings) are OK, but we didn’t play to our potential,”

Perkins said. “(CdM) will be OK, and we’ll be better. Nothing

happened that we can’t improve on.”

CdM would be hard-pressed to improve on its offensive production

in the opening 24 minutes, during which the Sea Kings’ defense helped

the visitors double Mesa’s time of possession (15:39 to 8:21).

CdM went 75 yards on nine plays to open the scoring, with

Cianciulli capping the march with a 2-yard scoring run.

After a 5-yard Costa Mesa punt, CdM went 32 yards on just three

plays, with Kevin Welch, uncovered as a wideout to the left side,

fielding a Jonathan Hubbard toss for an easy score with 3:58 left in

the first quarter.

K.C. Rawlins, who boomed four kickoffs deep into the end zone for

touchbacks, kicked the second of his five conversions and the Sea

Kings were off and running.

Presson and Tom Welch both had interceptions for the Sea Kings,

while linebacker Jason Kidushim and Tarkesian, who came off the bench

to aid in the defensive line surge, each had sacks.

CdM has now won back-to-back openers and has defeated Costa Mesa

in 25 of their 33 meetings.