Costa Mesa emotional in win

COSTA MESA — Friday was an emotional night for the Costa Mesa High football team.

There was happiness for the team’s first victory of the season, 17-8, over Bolsa Grande at Orange Coast College, after three defeats. But there was anger for still not having played up to its potential.

There was cornerback Manuel Gomez’s concussion late in the first half. As he went in and out of consciousness it brought back memories for Mustangs Coach Jeremy Osso of a game in 2001 when senior Matt Colby collapsed on the sideline and died later of brain injuries incurred on the field.

As Gomez was taken off in an ambulance for precautionary reasons it inspired some of his teammates, namely tailback D.J. Lepper who carried the ball 10 times for 58 yards and a touchdown in the second half.

And there was the final play of the game when the Mustangs (1-3) called a timeout with only seconds remaining and sent in sophomore Xavier Soto, much to the glee of teammates. Prior to the season, Soto was told he might not walk again if he were to ever break his leg, because of a curvature in his leg.

So Osso talked with Bolsa Grande Coach Jim Lamb and it was agreed Soto would enter at the end of the game and the Matadors (1-3) would not hit him.

“We wanted to give him a chance to be out there under the lights,” Osso said.

Lineman Juan Garces was one of the first to welcome Soto onto the field.

“It was a very emotional thing,” he said.

As for Gomez, Osso said he will be fine. When the sophomore was laying on the field, Osso was the first to race out and check on him.

“It just all came rushing back to me,” Osso said of the 2001 tragedy.

Teammates went onto the field to see Gomez off and he waved his hand as he was placed into the ambulance. Lepper gave an impassioned speech to his teammates at halftime with the Mustangs down 8-3.

“I told them we’ve got to win this for him,” Lepper said. “I’ve got to take care of my teammates, because they take care of me.”

Lepper struggled in the first half, running 11 times for 32 yards, so Osso talked with him about how he was running.

“I talked to him about not trying to score every time he gets the ball and trying to run 60 yards every time,” Osso said. “I told him he had to chip away and that’s what he did.”

The second half didn’t start well for the Mustangs, with a botched snap on the first play giving the ball to the Matadors at the 22. But Bolsa Grande would only move backward and Costa Mesa would shut down a fake punt to take the ball back.

The Mustangs ran on four of their first five plays, with Lepper gaining 24 yards. But with Lepper gasping for air, the Mustangs looked to pass. Quarterback Cody Waldron threw a pass that was intercepted at the 40-yard line, but as soon as the ball was snatched out of the air, the senior had a plan.

“Coach told us if you throw an interception you better make the tackle,” Waldron said. “But why just make the tackle when you can take it back.”

That’s exactly what Waldron did, as Bolsa Grande’s Devin Boland entered the 34th yard of his interception return, Waldron snatched the ball from his hand and returned it back 11 yards.

Four plays later he hit Asa Hawks on a post pattern and Hawks spun into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown. The Mustangs would not relinquish the lead.

“We were able to make a couple of big plays,” Waldron said. “This was very important. We needed some momentum. We’ve got to get rolling.”

Lepper bulldozed in from two yards out on the Mustangs’ next drive to for a 17-8 lead.

“This was pretty important,” Lepper said.