Mesa’s thundering herd plows through Uni

NEWPORT BEACH - Even after trouncing its opponent a week later,

Costa Mesa High still couldn’t get its mind off losing to Estancia last

week.

“This was a big turnaround for us,” Costa Mesa football coach Jerry

Howell said, following his team’s 45-21 Pacific Coast League victory over

visiting University Friday night at Newport Harbor High, where the

Mustangs (5-2, 1-1 in PCL) set the tone on the game’s first play -- a

67-yard kickoff return by C.J. Zuniga.

Mesa, which was stunned by rival Estancia in the PCL opener last week,

34-14, got itself back in the CIF Southern Section playoff hunt with a

convincing win over the Trojans (2-5, 0-1).

“We want to win the next three games and get into the playoffs (for

the fourth straight season) and be 8-2,” Howell said. “And we want to

find Estancia and Western again in the playoffs. We can beat them. You

bet, we want them.”

Estancia and Western handed Mesa its only two losses this season, and

the Mustangs played this one like they had something to prove, especially

with two-way starter Anthony Grubisich out of the lineup (recent death in

his family).

“I thought the kids came back (from last week’s loss) and played

well,” said Howell, whose squad piled up 320 total yards in the first

half, while maintaining possession for almost 16 of the 24 minutes. “I

thought we handled (the Trojans) as well as anybody has this year, and we

did it without Grubisich.”

Zuniga, battling for the Orange County rushing lead, earned 251 yards

and five touchdowns in 29 carries, while Mesa quarterback Dave Weir

scrambled for 52 yards, and, in the first half, completed 9 of 13 passes

for 97 yards with no interceptions. Weir’s only pass of the second half,

however, was picked off by University’s Seung Han in the fourth quarter.

“The tone of the game was set on that (67-yard) kickoff return to

start the game,” University Coach Mark Cunningham said. “(The Mustangs)

were able to start on the 7-yard line, and you can’t give up points to

this team. Then we lost a fumble on a kickoff return and all of the

sudden we’re down 21-7.”

After Zuniga’s opening kickoff, Mesa scored two plays later on

Zuniga’s first of five scores.

Uni, however, responded by driving 72 yards on its ensuing series,

capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Pat Josten to Benjamin

Messelbeck.

Costa Mesa scored on all five possessions in the first half and

threatened on its sixth series, but the clock ran out when the Mustangs

reached the Trojan 22-yard line. Led by Zuniga’s 145 rushing yards, the

Mustangs had 223 first-half yards on the ground.

After Uni went ahead, 7-6, Mesa continued to roll behind its offensive

line, which created large holes for Zuniga, who went off left tackle

Charlie Amburgey for a 43-yard gain to open the Mustangs’ next drive.

In a seven-play series, sparked by Weir’s 19-yard run to the Uni 15,

the Mustangs scored on Zuniga’s TD run to go ahead for good, 14-7.

On the kickoff, Uni fumbled and Costa Mesa’s Daniel Hunter recovered

at the Trojan 35, setting up another Zuniga touchdown.

With Mesa staring at fourth-and-one on the Uni 11, Zuniga carried for

the first down, and, two plays later, scored from 10 yards out. Luis

Avalos added the kick and the Mustangs were enjoying a 21-7 edge with

1:59 left in the first quarter.

After Uni’s offense sputtered, Mesa took control again, as Weir

completed passes to Luis Day for 11 yards and Shaun Ferryman for 27

yards. Zuniga scored on the second play of the second quarter, a 7-yard

run, to finish Mesa’s four-play series.

University pulled to within 28-14, but Mesa came back, scoring on its

fifth straight possession -- a 30-yard field goal by Avalos with 4:01 to

play in the first half.

In the third quarter, Costa Mesa faced a fourth-and-four situation at

the Uni 31. But Zuniga blasted off left tackle again, rambling for his

fifth touchdown on a huge hole.

To cap Mesa’s scoring, Todd Duddridge went 15 yards untouched up the

middle for another touchdown run.

“This is enough to get us on a roll,” Howell said. “We want to go 8-2

and win the PCL.”