Mesa takes blame

Barry Faulkner

After further review, Costa Mesa High football coach Dave Perkins

said the pass interference penalty that helped set up Gabrielino’s

winning field goal in the final minute was a phantom call.

Perkins, however, does not blame the officials for his team’s

surprising 15-14 loss in the first round of the CIF Southern Section

Division VII Playoffs Friday night at Orange Coast College.

Instead, Perkins believes his team (8-3), which claimed only the

second outright league championship in the program’s 43 varsity

seasons and entered the postseason on a seven-game winning streak,

may have looked past the Eagles (6-4-1) anticipating a quarterfinal

matchup with top-seeded Santa Fe.

“Our guy goes straight over the top and knocks the ball down,”

Perkins said of the controversial penalty, which bailed the visitors

out of what would have been a fourth-and-17 situation. Instead, they

wound up with a 20-yard Miguel Ortiz field goal with 33 seconds left,

a virtual extra point, to end a Costa Mesa season of great promise.

“Our kids were real upset,” Perkins said. “They believed they had

a chance to go on and do something in the playoffs. Maybe they were

looking ahead to the potential Santa Fe matchup a little too much.”

Perkins said his team dominated the first half, which ended with a

missed opportunity when the Mustangs fumbled the ball away at the

Gabrielino 1-yard line.

“We should have been up, 24-6, at halftime,” he said. “But

Gabrielino just kept hanging around. Our defense turned (the Eagles)

away when they had the ball for most of the fourth quarter on our

half of the 50. But we couldn’t turn them away that last time.”

Perkins believes his seniors should take away satisfaction at

becoming the first Mesa squad to win all its league games (the 1993

outright Pacific Coast League champions were 4-0-1 in league).

“This team did a lot of really good things,” Perkins said. “We

knew they were upset in the locker room (Friday) and we told them we

knew (the loss) was tough. But we also told them they had a great

year and they should reflect on some of the positive things. They had

plenty to hang their hat on this season.”

Among the outgoing seniors is running back Keola Asuega, who piled

up 150 yards on 21 carries, including a 72-yard touchdown run that

answered Gabrielino’s opening TD.

Asuega, who may land a Division I scholarship, finished the season

with 2,023 rushing yards and 20 TDs on 253 carries. He becomes only

the seventh Newport-Mesa ball carrier to produce 2,000 yards in a

single season. Asuega’s 3,932 career rushing yards (on 556 carries)

rank second in school and district annals, behind Binh Tran, who

amassed 4,333 yards from 1991-93. Asuega’s 48 career touchdowns are a

Newport-Mesa record.

“He was our money guy,” Perkins said of the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder

who possessed both power and speed. “I look forward to watching him

play on Saturdays the next couple years.”

Perkins also said senior offensive guard Andrew Carich, senior

safety Tyler Waldron and senior receiver Nate Hunter may also have

what it takes to play collegiately, perhaps at the Division II or

Division III level.

While Perkins will say goodbye to several quality seniors, he will

welcome back seven starters on defense and five on offense next fall.

“I’m sure we’ll be as good or better next year,” Perkins said.

“Our junior varsity won the league title and our freshmen did, too.

I’m really looking forward to starting our offseason program in

January.

Perkins, who established a firm goal this season to get past the

first round, which the Mustangs have now failed to do their last four

postseason appearances, said Friday’s loss may serve as motivation

for next year.

“This could be a springboard, or maybe even a red flag, as to how

you need to perform,” he said. “I think there was a feeling that we

just needed to get through (the Gabrielino game).”