Mesa fights, but falls

TUSTIN — About eight deep they stood, shoulder-to-shoulder, six across in formation. The Costa Mesa High football players were proving, as they observed a somewhat new tradition of singing the school fight song after a 35-0 nonleague loss to Beckman Thursday that this is, indeed, no time to break ranks.

It was the second straight lopsided loss against an opponent ranked in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division poll. The Mustangs (0-2) fell, 55-3, to Corona del Mar, ranked No. 8 in their season opener, before being overrun by the No. 9-ranked Patriots (2-0) at Tustin High.

But third-year coach Jeremy Osso, whose 2007 team opened 0-7, then made the playoffs and shared the Orange Coast League championship, said the schedule is playing out about as expected thus far.

“We’re not playing slouch teams right now,” said Osso, whose squad next visits always tough Irvine Thursday. “Our guys have to realize this is the toughest part of our schedule. Our first three games are the toughest of the year.”

The Mustangs hung tough for most of three quarters against a bigger, stronger, more experienced Beckman squad led by junior tailback Keith Dawson.

The Mustangs played the Patriots even in the second quarter, after surrendering a 14-0 first-quarter lead. It was 21-0 when defensive tackle Camilo Enriquez punched the ball out of a Beckman ballcarrier’s hands and junior safety Luis Gomez recovered at the Beckman 25-yard line with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.

But a penalty helped squelch the scoring chance and the Mustangs, who went three-and-out on four of their first six possessions, turned the ball over on downs at the Patriots’ 30.

Dawson, who dashed for 250 rushing yards on 15 carries, including an 80-yard touchdown burst on the first play of the hosts’ second possession, broke through a seemingly tired Mesa defense for scoring sprints of 65 and 41 yards in the final period.

“We were better than last week,” said Osso, who saw junior inside linebacker Nick Hayes snatch a Beckman runner and pull him down short of a first down on fourth-and-two at the Costa Mesa 23 late in the third quarter to show the visitors hadn’t given up the fight.

“Fight on, for Mesa High!” went the fight song, a close proximation of the famous USC rallying cry that the Mustangs, Osso believes, will heed now and the rest of the season.

Mustangs senior Antwon Byrd carried 16 times for 42 yards and senior Robbie Gemayel, sidelined the first 6 1/2 quarters of 2008 with a foot injury, picked up 30 yards on 11 rushing attempts.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.