Emotionally focused

Barry Faulkner

It won’t be the most lopsided victory of the 2001 season the Costa

Mesa High football team will remember Friday when it meets host Ocean

View High in the 7 p.m. Golden West League opener at Westminster

High.

It was the same stadium, against the same opponent last year, when

the program suffered an unthinkable tragedy, as 17-year-old senior

Matt Colby collapsed on the sideline and died just hours later of

brain injuries sustained on the field.

“It’s going to be a real intense situation,” said Mesa Coach Dave

Perkins, who was among those for whom a scouting trip to Westminster

to watch Ocean View last week stirred powerful emotions.

“We had quite a few players there (scouting) and you could see by

the looks on their faces they were affected,” Perkins said. “I even

saw one pointing to the spot (on the sideline), where Matt went down.

The whole thing is still very much on their minds.”

Perkins said he and his staff have talked to the players about

trying to focus their emotions on opening their first Golden West

League season in winning fashion.

“We’re going to try to turn it into as much of a positive as we

can.” Perkins said. “I know our kids are going to be focused. I just

hope they don’t go out and try too hard to play well.”

On the field, the Mustangs (1-2), ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern

Section Division VII, will be faced with a wide-open offense that has

featured balance this fall.

Coach Harold Eggers’ Seahawks (1-2), coming off a 31-27 triumph

over Century in which they trailed by 18 at halftime, have produced

444 yards rushing and 413 passing.

Alex Hickerson, a 6-foot-4 junior quarterback, has completed 43 of

94 with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He has now thrown for

1,281 yards and nine TDs in his varsity career, though he has tossed

21 interceptions.

“He throws it all over the place, so we better get our secondary

straightened out,” Perkins said. “And if you don’t pay attention to

the running game (5-8, 165-pound junior running back Aaron) Gonya is

going to score.”

Gonya has rushed for 450 yards and two TDs on 58 carries.

The Ocean View receiving corps includes Shawn Kim (15 catches for

123 yards and one TD), Justin Roth (12 catches for 88 yards), Americo

Lopez (nine for 102) and Rick Sweetin (seven for 119 yards and three

TDs).

“They marched down the field on their first drive last year and

scored on us,” Perkins recalled of the Mustangs’ 53-12 nonleague win.

“We need to jump ahead and not have bad things happen early.”

Good things have happened for the Mustangs when they have given

the ball to senior running back Keola Asuega the ball. Asuega, who

lines up at tailback, fullback and wingback, has amassed 556 rushing

yards and four TDs on 68 carries this fall. He has 2,437 career

rushing yards 150 from moving past Steve Herzog into the No. 3 spot

on Mesa’s career rushing list. He also has three receptions for 44

yards.

Junior Omar Ruiz (173 yards on 34 carries) has also helped the

Mesa running game which has produced 754 yards this fall, 77.5% of

its total offense, behind a line led by veteran standouts Andrew

Carich and Paul Martin.

Both Carich and Martin, who also play on the defensive line, will

miss the game with what Perkins termed “unspecified injuries.”

The Mustangs’ defense, keyed by senior outside linebacker Nate

Hunter, senior cornerback Luis Gonzalez and senior 315-pound

noseguard Bothoa Pov, limited explosive Laguna Beach tailback

Donnelle Darling to 80 rushing yards last week.

Laguna quarterback Alex Wilson, however, threw for 217 yards and

two TDs.

Mesa has won three of its four meetings with its new league rival,

outscoring the Seahawks, 165-57, in the process.

The Mustangs, who competed in the Pacific Coast League the last 16

years, have lost their last three league openers.