Mustangs can’t cash in

COSTA MESA — The Costa Mesa High football team talked about finishing at halftime, after squandering a couple of red-zone opportunities Friday night.

By the end of the game, once the bruising running of Santiago senior running back Paul Escamilla took its toll, the resilient Mustangs were nevertheless just finished.

Santiago came from behind to win the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoff game at Estancia High, 17-14, ending Mesa’s season and thwarting its attempt to win its first playoff game in 11 years.

The Cavaliers (9-2), who finished in a three-way tie for champion of the Garden Grove League, got the deciding field goal from junior Robert Fernandez midway through the fourth quarter.

But it was the Mustangs (5-6) who looked like they might run away with the game in the first half. Not only did senior Antwon Byrd score on a 22-yard run on Mesa’s second drive, but the Mustangs got the ball into the red zone on each of their subsequent drives after Luis Gomez recovered a fumble and Kevin Astorino intercepted a pass.

Each time, Orange Coast League champion Costa Mesa was turned away, once on a missed field goal and then when a quarterback keeper run was stripped by Escamilla.

“We have to convert in those situations,” Coach Jeremy Osso said. “That right there shows our inexperience in the playoffs, the fact that we were down there and we couldn’t convert ... It hurts. It hurts. There aren’t many words I can say.”

Santiago evened the score with 8:03 left in the third quarter, but Gomez again responded. After a squib kick went through a Mustang player’s legs, Gomez scooped it up and ran it back 90 yards, putting the Mustangs back on top, 14-7.

But Santiago then used its trump card, Escamilla, who ran for 173 yards on 30 carries.

After he scored to again even the score, he did plenty of damage in the fourth quarter, too. When the Cavaliers got the ball back with 5:53 to play in the game, Santiago used runs by Escamilla and quarterback Harvey Alavez to make sure the Mustangs wouldn’t get another chance.

The Cavaliers converted fourth-down situations twice on the final drive, including Alavez’s quarterback keeper on fourth-and-inches with under two minutes to play to ice the game.

“They had a bunch of third-and-longs that they converted, and we can’t let that happen,” Osso said. “We have to stop those. But no one thought we’d be here. For us to go and win league and fight back like this after an 0-5 start? To be here and be in a position where we’re giving Santiago hell in this game, it’s a true testament to our players, and the type of football players we’re trying to develop at Costa Mesa High School. The senior class has shown great leadership in how to fight through adversity and try to come out on the right end.”

Seniors Jeff Dye and Manny Gomez also had interceptions for Costa Mesa.

SANTIAGO 17, COSTA MESA 14

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Santiago 0-0-14-3--17

Costa Mesa 7-0-7-0--14

FIRST QUARTER

CM – Byrd 22 run (Solis kick), 2:57.

THIRD QUARTER

San – Alavez 1 run (Fernandez kick), 8:03.

CM – L. Gomez 90 kickoff return (Solis kick), 7:46.

San – Escamilla 13 run (Fernandez kick), 4:43.

FOURTH QUARTER

San – Fernandez 22 FG, 7:30.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

San – Escamilla, 30-173, 1 TD; Hornsby, 13-118; Alavez, 8-16, 1 TD.

CM – Byrd, 13-89, 1 TD; Gemayel, 6-22; Waldron, 4-18; Argumedo, 4-10; Pederson, 1-1.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

San – Alavez, 8-15-3, 54.

CM – Waldron, 0-1-0, 0.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

San – J. Sanchez, 2-24; Lemus, 3-17; Escamilla, 2-14; N. Sanchez 1-minus-1.

CM – none.