Mesa awaits Golden West showdown

Barry Faulkner

The anticipation of Friday’s football showdown between Golden West

League unbeatens Costa Mesa High and Santa Ana was nearly enough to

cost both teams a victory last week.

But a Nate Hunter field goal with 11 seconds left sealed the

Mustangs’ 11-10 win over Westminster and a missed 43-yard field-goal

attempt by Saddleback with no time left allowed the Saints to escape

with a 21-19 triumph in Week 8. So, this 7 p.m. clash at Orange Coast

College could decide the league’s No. 1 berth into the CIF Southern

Section Division VII Playoffs.

Costa Mesa (6-2, 4-0 in league), ranked No. 8 in Division VII, is

seeking at least a share of only the fifth league championship in the

program’s 43 varsity seasons. A victory over Santa Ana would clinch

the league’s No. 1 playoff berth for the Mustangs, who would own the

head-to-head tie-breaker advantage even if they wound up tied with

Santa Ana or Orange.

Coach Dave Perkins’ Mustangs have won five straight and two more

would produce only the second outright league title in school

history, the other being a Pacific Coast League crown in 1993, the

same season they lost in the CIF Division VIII title game.

Santa Ana (7-1, 4-0) has not lost since a season-opening setback

to Sonora and the Saints are enjoying their best season in more than

a decade, though the storied program has more CIF titles (five) than

Mesa has league crowns. Coach Jesse Gomez’s Saints have scored 285

points, third most in Orange County this season.

The Saints, however, feature a much different offensive philosophy

than the Mustangs.

Santa Ana, behind senior quarterback Omar Carrasco, have thrown

for more than 65% of their 2,364 yards. Carrasco has completed 93 of

155 (60%) for 1,460 yards and five TDs, with six interceptions.

Carrasco missed all but the first few plays against Saddleback with a

sprained ankle, but Perkins expects him to be at the controls Friday.

Costa Mesa has relied on controlling the trenches on offense,

allowing senior fullback Keola Asuega to amass 1,367 yards and 14

touchdowns on 179 carries, despite missing one game with a sore

hamstring. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Asuega’s 3,278 career rushing

yards rank No. 2 in Newport-Mesa annals and his 42 career TDs are

surpassed only by former Newport Harbor running back Steve Brazas (45

in 1982-83) in the Newport-Mesa record book.

Asuega has 17 career games of at least 100 yards and, operating

behind a strong blocking wall of tackles James Paulsen and Rodrigo

Gutierrez, guards Andrew Carich and Brett Via, as well as center Luke

Sapolu and utility man Paul Martin, Asuega has 741 yards and 10 TDs

in four league games this fall.

With Asuega carrying the load, assisted by junior tailback Omar

Ruiz (456 yards and five TDs on 96 carries), the Mustangs have

produced nearly 84% of their 2,552 offensive yards on the ground.

When Santa Ana stays on the ground, Jose Alvarez has been the

primary ball carrier. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior has 564 yards

and six TDs on 83 carries.

When the Saints get deep in the red zone, they have utilized 5-10,

210-pound junior Jason Oliveras, who has produced nine TDs on just 20

carries.

Costa Mesa has shown the ability to throw the ball, but senior

quarterback Tim Iller has just 24 completions for 279 yards and one

TD this season and has not thrown a touchdown pass since the opener.

Hunter, who has kicked two late game-winning field goals this

season, leads Mesa receivers with 12 catches for 171 yards, followed

by Asuega, who has 10 receptions for 74 yards.

The Saints’ receiving corps is paced by senior Rene Candelas, who

has 25 catches for 604 yards and three TDs. Cesar Garcia (23 catches

for 307 yards and three TDs) is another primary target.

“A win means we won’t be on a bus for two hours the first week of

the playoffs, going to play someone in the San Gabriel Valley,”

Perkins said. “And, if we win out, we could get a possible (top-four)

seed.”

Perkins believes victory is well within reach, but said his team

must continue its aversion to turnovers (just three in four league

games to help create a plus-nine turnover ratio for the season) and

limit the big plays that have marked most Santa Ana touchdown drives.

“Their scoring drives have usually been seven or eight plays,

because they have been pretty good at hitting a big one to get an

easy touchdown,” Perkins said. “We need to force them to drive the

football and use the same formula of good defense and ball-control

offense we’ve been using. If we play well and do that, we should have

a pretty good chance at winning.”

Costa Mesa also has the size advantage over the Saints, whom

Perkins said have used their quickness, aggressiveness and heart to

achieve their success this season.

The Mustangs would remain in the league title picture, even with a

loss, since Santa Ana closes the regular season against Orange (5-3,

4-1). Costa Mesa closes out against Saddleback and win over the

Roadrunners, combined with an Orange victory over Santa Ana, would

create a three-way tie for the crown (provided Orange gets past

Westminster tonight).

This is the first meeting in 20 years between the former Sunset

League(1962-63) and Century League (1974-75) rivals. Santa Ana leads

the series, 7-1.