Barry Faulkner Either Coach Dave Perkins’ memory...

Barry Faulkner

Either Coach Dave Perkins’ memory has slipped, or Costa Mesa High

football fans should be extremely enthused about the school’s chances

in the CIF Southern Section Division VII Playoffs, which open Friday

against visiting Gabrielino at 7:30 p.m. at Orange Coast College.

Perkins, who coached Corona High to the CIF Division V crown in

1989, said he has never had a better feeling about a team heading

into the postseason than the one he has about his Golden West League

champion Mustangs.

“If our defense continues to play the way it has and our running

game keeps performing, I don’t see why we can’t go a long way in the

playoffs,” Perkins said. “We’ve been moving the ball on everyone,

even teams that put 10 in the box.”

Gabrielino (5-4-1) will likely take that defensive approach, since

the Eagles have shown a penchant for attacking opposing offenses,

Perkins said.

The Mustangs (8-2) have been on the attack ever since opening the

season 1-2, winning seven straight, including the school’s first

perfect league season, to claim only the second outright league title

in the program’s 43 varsity seasons.

The Mustangs, in their seventh postseason in the last 10 years,

have won only one first-round game (1997) since 1993, when they went

to the Division VIII title game after claiming the outright Pacific

Coast League crown.

The Mustangs have lost their last three first-round contests.

Gabrielino, in only its seventh varsity season, is making its

sixth straight postseason appearance. But Coach Vince Lopez’s squad,

third in the Mission Valley League, made first-round exits each of

the last four years in Division VII. The Eagles went to the Division

X quarterfinals in 1997.

Costa Mesa has some history with Gabrielino, having played the

Eagles their first two varsity seasons. The Mustangs thumped the

senior-less newcomer, 42-6, in 1996, then earned a 38-0 nonleague win

the following season.

Gabrielino is paced by running back Adrian Magallon, who shifted

from quarterback to running back early in the season, as well as

quarterback Paul Zuniga.

“They run more than pass and they look to be very aggressive on

defense from a lot of different looks,” Perkins said.

The Mustangs have several looks of their on offense, but the focus

is consistently on running back Keola Asuega. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound

senior has amassed 1,873 yards and 19 touchdowns on 232 carries this

fall. His 3,782 career rushing yards leave him 551 from breaking the

school and Newport-Mesa record set by Binh Tran (1991-93). Asuega’s

47 career TDs are the most in Newport-Mesa history.

“He’s finally healthy,” Perkins noted of Asuega, who had foot

problems as a sophomore and junior and battled a hamstring early this

season. “He seems to be in a pretty good rhythm and he gets better

the more carries he gets in a game.”

Asuega has 19 games with at least 100 rushing yards, including

eight this season. He has surpassed the 200-yard mark five times this

fall, including the last three games and four of the last five. In

six league games, he produced 1,247 rushing yards and 15 TDs.

With Asuega carrying the load behind an offensive line of tackles

James Paulsen and Rodrigo Gutierrez, guards Andrew Carich, David

Vernatico and Brett Via, as well as center Luke Sapolu, Costa Mesa

has earned nearly 86% of its 3,292 yards on the ground.

Friday’s winner will advance to face either top-seeded Santa Fe or

West Covina in next week’s quarterfinals.