Mustangs pull it out!

Barry Faulkner

It took just four offensive plays and 14 explosive points for

Orange High to send the Costa Mesa football team into Plan B in a

clash of Golden West League unbeatens Friday night at Orange Coast

College.

Fortunately for the Mustangs (4-2, 3-0 in league), they took B to

stand for bounce back, or perhaps battle, maybe even ball control.

Whichever, the homecoming hosts responded in championship fashion to

claim a 27-21 victory that sets them on a collision course for what

may be a league title showdown Nov. 8 with Santa Ana.

“A team that hasn’t dealt with the kind of adversity we have,

would have folded and gotten beat, 60-0, after (Panther star running

back Durrell Moss) broke those two long touchdown runs,” Costa Mesa

Coach Dave Perkins said. “But I could see the looks on our guys’

faces. They were thinking, ‘Just give us the ball.’ ”

After two mildly effective but scoreless possessions, the

Mustangs’ methodical offense sank its teeth into the football and

proceeded to bury Orange in a series of determined runs by a quartet

of running backs, led by senior Keola Asuega.

Asuega, who took his meeting with the Washington-bound Moss as a

personal challenge, as well as a chance to assert himself as the

premier rusher in the league, rolled up 220 yards and three

touchdowns on 33 carries to leave a lasting impression.

Asuega, who now has 2,897 career rushing yards, good for the No. 2

spot on the school’s all-time list, bolted 39 yards on a counter two

plays into the second quarter cut Orange’s lead in half, 14-7.

On Mesa’s next possession, Asuega capped an 11-play, 55-yard drive

with a 7-yard touchdown run and Nate Hunter’s conversion kick erased

Orange’s early advantage with 3:15 left in the first half.

The ensuing kickoff bounced off an Orange returner’s stomach and

Mesa’s Luis Gonzalez fell on it to set up a four-play, 23-yard

scoring drive that ended when holder Brian Knox rolled to his right

on a fake field goal and hit Daniel Cooper in the end zone. Hunter’s

PAT gave Mesa a 21-14 lead and the Mustangs made sure it stood up in

the second half.

“We came through some adversity tonight,” Asuega said. “Our plan

was to stop Moss, but he got off to that fast start. I didn’t sleep

last night, because I knew this game was big and I thought it may

come down to back against back.”

The Mustang defense, which collected all four of the game’s

turnovers, helped foil Orange’s comeback hopes when 315-pound senior

noseguard Borotha Pov fell on a fumble with 4:14 left in the third

quarter at the Mesa 45-yard line.

Mustang offensive linemen Luke Sapolu, James Paulsen, David

Vernotico, Paul Martin, Brett Via and Rodrigo Gutierrez then went to

work, paving the way for a 14-play TD procession that ate 5:09 off

the clock. Asuega capped the march with a 4-yard TD run off left

tackle to build the Mesa lead to 13.

“Our offensive line just pounded on ‘em,” said Via, who also

contributed to a defense that held the Panthers scoreless after Moss

raced 80 yards for a TD on the first play of the game, then sprinted

77 on the third play of the next possession to produce a 14-0 cushion

with 7:06 left in the first quarter.

“That was crazy,” Via said of the Moss’ early heroics. “I didn’t

like that at all.”

Al Rodriguez intercepted in his own end zone to thwart one Orange

drive late in the first half and Tyler Waldron picked off a pass and

returned it 28 yards to the Panthers 2 with 1:08 left to clinch the

crucial victory.

“We slugged this one out,” Perkins said. “Our kids play physical

football and they showed tonight they have huge hearts. Keola wanted

to show he was a pretty good running back, too, and he just kept

coming and got some tough yards.”

Moss, who committed to Washington this week, finished with 234

yards on 18 carries and is now closing in on 2,800 yards the last two

seasons. But, after his early bursts, none of his next 15 carries

produced more than 11 yards. And Orange (3-3, 2-1) failed to complete

any of its six pass attempts.

Mesa’s ground game benefited from a combined 105 yards from

receiver Nate Hunter, wingback Tyler Waldron (39 each) and junior

tailback Omar Ruiz, as the Mustangs churned out 16 first downs,

including three fourth-down conversions.

“Their offense played well,” Orange Coach Greg Gibson said of the

Mustangs. “They took it to us and, you know, that happens.”

Though the Mustangs did not have any turnovers, they hurt

themselves with penalties, committing nine infractions for 90 yards.

Holding penalties contributed to keeping the hosts scoreless on their

first two possessions and Mesa overcame a holding penalty on its

final scoring drive.

“Orange is a good football team and this is one (victory) we had

to get,” said Perkins, who wasted little time reminding his players

what’s up next.

“Next week, we get the Eagles,” Perkins bellowed in the postgame

huddle, referring to Friday’s Battle for the Bell against crosstown

rival Estancia.