Mustangs give boot to losing skid

Monday morning quarterbacksLate field goal caps first win for Costa Mesa, but shift from spread offense to smashmouth double wing helped set stage.It was sketchy, Jay Johnson said. “A line drive, knuckler, wobbler that probably was about three feet over the crossbar.”

But the Costa Mesa High first-year football coach said he will always recall Ryan Bagwell’s 25-yard, game-winning field goal with five seconds left Friday against Saddleback as one of the most beautiful kicks he has ever seen.

Bagwell’s boot was the difference in a 23-21 Golden West League triumph at Orange Coast College. It was also the catalyst to an emotional celebration for the Mustangs (1-7, 1-3 in league), who broke a nine-game losing streak.

“The kids were elated about the whole thing and it was awesome for them to have that feeling,” Johnson said. “Kids were hugging me with tears in their eyes, because they were so happy and pleased they could get a win for me. But I didn’t care about me. I was just extremely happy for them.”

Before the knuckling and wobbling, it was a waffle by Johnson and his staff that helped pave the way for the program’s first victory in 364 days.

After the 0-7 start, Johnson scrapped his spread offense for the smashmouth double wing. The result was 389 rushing yards, roughly 63% of the total the Mustangs had produced in the first six games combined (613) and a 20-0 first-quarter lead. And, Johnson believes, a whole new beginning.

“We were like a wild animal in a corner,” Johnson said of the genesis for the change. “We had to do something to get out of it. We decided to go to a simple scheme, try to keep the ball on the ground, use the clock and try to score that way. It seemed to work.”

Johnson had his team warm up on campus, before walking across the street to OCC, as not to tip Saddleback coaches to the Mustangs’ new scheme.

The surprise attack paid off.

“I think [the Roadrunners] were on their heels in the first half after seeing how we were coming at them,” Johnson said.

Saddleback (2-5, 1-3) adjusted and rallied to take a 21-20 lead with 6:59 left in the game.

But, Cody Waldron recovered a Saddleback fumble with 2:18 left at the Mustangs’ 39, from where they moved downfield to set the stage for Bagwell.

Johnson said he will stick with the double wing as the Mustangs attempt to earn the Golden West League’s fourth berth in the CIF Southern Section Division VII playoffs.

Mesa can keep those hopes alive with a win over Ocean View (2-4-1, 1-2) Friday at 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Newport-Mesa football scene.

* NEWPORT HARBOR: The Sailors put together their most complete game of the season to earn a 19-13 Sea View League win over visiting Foothill (4-3, 1-1) Friday.

The victory kept the Sailors (5-2, 2-0), ranked No. 9 in CIF Division VI, tied for first place with Laguna Hills with three league games remaining.

Coach Jeff Brinkley said the defensive game plan included measures to contain a productive Foothill offense. And, Brinkley said, the players carried out the plan with few flaws.

“The defense was set up to where it took a lot of discipline and self-sacrifice,” Brinkley said. “Especially our ends [Mike Calabrese, Scott Andrews and Jayme Ohlhaver] had to be very unselfish, because they had to take out the blockers pulling on the power pitch [the Knights] like to run.”

Foothill gained more than 9 yards on only four of its 41 rushing attempts, with a long of 16.

The Knights’ biggest passing gain was 25 yards until a 47-yard play that led to their final touchdown late in the game.

Brinkley said two incidents dampened his enthusiasm over the victory.

Some Foothill players’ personal belongings were stolen from a locker room behind the stadium, which was broken into during the first half.

Brinkley also said the appearance of a streaker on the field late in the game was another regrettable occurrence.

“Unfortunately, those things that happened embarrass the program and the school,” Brinkley said. “We’re trying to run a class program and things like that go against everything that we stand for.”

The Sailors continue their bid to defend their 2004 league title Friday, when they visit Aliso Niguel (5-2, 1-1), ranked No. 10 in CIF Division VI in last week’s poll.

* CORONA DEL MAR: The Sea Kings (3-5, 1-3) handled all the deception and trick plays Laguna Beach (3-3-1, 0-3) threw at them to earn a 27-0 Pacific Coast League win Thursday at Newport Harbor High.

The victory was CdM’s 11th straight against against Laguna Beach and extended the Breakers’ league winless streak to 14 games, including seven straight losses.

Steve Hillgren helped the Sea Kings post a mere 76 yards, as the junior cornerback set a school single-game record with four interceptions.

Hillgren returned one pick 27 yards for a touchdown. A 35-yard Hillgren interception return for an apparent touchdown in the second quarter was nullified by a pass interference penalty.

Hillgren has nine interceptions this season, two shy of equaling the school’s single-season record set by Warren Johnson in 1988. Johnson also holds the school career record with 14 interceptions.

Senior inside linebacker Shaun Mohler was also a key for a CdM defense that held the Breakers to minus-24 yards rushing.

Corona del Mar played without senior defensive end Matt Burgner, who is recovering from a pinched nerve in his neck sustained in the Oct. 14 loss at Tesoro.

Burgner will get some extra time to recuperate as the Sea Kings enjoy their bye week, before returning to action Nov. 4 against Beckman.

Sea Kings Coach Dick Freeman said sophomore Max Prescott, who had started at offensive tackle, will undergo knee surgery and is lost for the season.

* ESTANCIA: Some missed opportunities on offense and a poor first-half performance by the defense proved too much to overcome for the Eagles, who dropped a 20-12 Golden West League decision at Ocean View Friday.

Estancia first-year coach Brian Barnes, who was disappointed in his team’s focus, loudly admonished his players after the game.

“I jumped on the kids pretty good, because I was ticked,” said Barnes, who was also triggered by some “conversing and joking around” among the Estancia players as they left the field.

“It was like they accepted losing and I’ll never let a kid accept losing,” Barnes said.

The Eagles (1-6, 1-2) are among four teams in contention for the league’s fourth CIF Division VII playoff berth.

Barring any of those four teams dealing upsets to first-place Westminster, second-place Santa Ana and third-place Orange, the Eagles would earn the No. 4 spot if they can beat Saddleback (Nov. 3), and Costa Mesa knocks off Ocean View (Friday).

* SAGE HILL: The Lightning used their bye week to gear up for their first Academy League contest, arguably their first true test of the season.

Sage (6-0), which easily handled Silver Valley of Yermo, 55-14, on Oct. 14, fueled by a seven-touchdown performance from senior tailback Keya Manshadi, plays host to Brethren Christian (5-2) at 7 p.m. Friday.

A win would give Sage the inside track on one of the four-team league’s two guaranteed CIF Division XIII playoff berths.