Mesa takes direct route to victory

Patrick Laverty

Just four hours before kickoff, Costa Mesa High football coach Dave

Perkins had quite a dilemma on his hands Friday. He didn’t have a

quarterback.

His customary starter was suspended for the first quarter for

disciplinary reasons as was his backup. The junior varsity

quarterback had suffered an ankle sprain the previous day and the

freshman quarterback is only 14 years old, too young to play without

a waiver, according to CIF Southern Section rules.

So Perkins went back to his days as Estancia coach and an

emergency offense he installed when he had only one quarterback.

Minutes later, the Mustangs had an entirely new scheme.

Using a direct snap to the running back, Costa Mesa built a 12-0

lead before returning to an offense that featured a quarterback. Omar

Ruiz, who gained more than 200 yards for the second consecutive game,

was the primary recipient of the direct snaps and the carries that

ensued.

“We had two plays to the right and two plays to the left,” Perkins

said. “Omar just had to find the hole.”

Whether in their new offense or the old one, the Mustangs (3-2,

1-1 in Golden West League play) found plenty of holes, rolling up 466

yards rushing in a 53-19 victory over Ocean View.

The victory was a strong return to form for Costa Mesa after it

was upset by Saddleback, in overtime, in its league opener the

previous week.

The Mustangs will now take a break from league play to face a

winless Santiago team, Friday at Orange Coast College.

Costa Mesa has a clean bill of health going into that game.

Lineman Zenri Kato, who sprained an ankle in Friday’s win, is

expected to start. Defensive back Al Rodriguez, who left Friday’s

game after colliding with fellow defensive back Luis Gonzalez, has

also been cleared to play.

The only question facing the Mustangs this week is whether to play

a quarterback under center or simply hike the ball to Ruiz.

* NEWPORT HARBOR: Going into the season with a young and

inexperienced team, Sailors Coach Jeff Brinkley wanted to build

confidence during the team’s nonleague slate. He has done more than

that.

The Sea Kings are 5-0 for the first time since 1998 and have

strung together one strong performance after another in preparation

for Sea View League play.

“I think we’re making progress,” Brinkley said. “I think we’re

getting better. As I tell our players, you either get better or you

get worse. We’ve been getting better.”

But it might take the Sailors’ best this week when they play host

to defending league champion Foothill (4-1) Friday.

The Knights entered the season as a favorite to repeat and have

done little to dismiss that notion through five games. A CIF VI

semifinalist last season, Foothill’s only loss came Friday against

San Clemente, a contender for the Division II title.

One of the keys for the Sailors will be eliminating costly

penalties, a consistent theme throughout the first five weeks of the

season. Newport Harbor was penalized seven times for 45 yards in

Friday’s victory over Paramount.

“The penalties before the whistle and after the whistle are the

ones that bother me,” Brinkley said. “In between the whistles, you

can live with it.”

Brinkley can also live with junior quarterback Kasey Peters, who

was a near-perfect 12 of 13 Friday and has yet to throw an

interception this season. And senior tailback Matt Encinias, who

gained 100 yards or more for the third straight game Friday and the

fourth time this season. And defensive end Saami Khalifian, who added

2 1/2sacks Friday, increasing his season total to eight.

Those three and the rest of the Sailors will need their best

efforts Friday in order for Newport Harbor to remain undefeated and

earn its first 6-0 start since 1994, when the Sailors won a CIF

championship.

“[Foothill] will be the toughest game to date,” Brinkley said.

* CORONA DEL MAR: The trainer’s room will be a popular place this

week as the Sea Kings prepare for their Pacific Coast League opener

against Laguna Beach, Thursday at Orange Coast College.

Corona del Mar (3-2) is banged up, particularly along the

offensive and defensive lines and much of its starting lineup is in

question.

Quarterback Tom Welch left Friday’s 45-0 loss to La Habra with a

strained left shoulder and his status for this week’s game is

questionable.

“We don’t know exactly until we see how he has lived with it

through the weekend,” Sea Kings Coach Dick Freeman said.

If Welch is unable to play, Corona del Mar would likely turn to

sophomore Shaun Mohler, who played most of the fourth quarter Friday,

or junior Wess Presson, a starter at running back.

Who will be blocking for the quarterback is still in question. The

Sea Kings were without three starters on the offensive line in

Friday’s game. Senior left tackle Andy Lujan (high ankle sprain) and

junior left guard Andrew Keligian (hip flexor) are both questionable

for the Laguna Beach game. Sophomore John Fairbanks (hip flexor) will

return to practice this week and is likely to play. A fourth lineman,

senior Sean Ellis, has also been cleared to practice after battling a

rotator cuff injury.

Robby Richey, J.R. Saroyan and Chris Reilly started on the

offensive line Friday.

Keligian and Fairbanks also start on the defensive line. Corona

del Mar ran out of defensive linemen in Friday’s game, forcing junior

Zach Wishengrad to move from linebacker to defensive tackle.

But the shortage of lineman wasn’t the Sea Kings downfall against

La Habra according to Freeman.

“That wasn’t what affected us,” Freeman said. “We lost just on the

big plays we allowed.”

After allowing 300 yards through the air Friday, Corona del Mar

faces another pass-happy unit this week in the Breakers.

The Sea Kings have just three days to prepare for Laguna Beach.

That should help them forget about La Habra, though it may prevent

some of the injured players from returning to action.

* ESTANCIA: The Eagles suffered their first Golden West League

loss under Coach Craig Fertig Friday, primarily because of the 222

yards and three touchdowns that Westminster running back Carlos

Brooks piled up on 20 carries.

A lot of those yards came because of poor tackling on the part of

the Eagles, Fertig said.

“Guess what we’re going to practice this week?” Fertig said.

“Tackling.

“We brought our linebackers right where we thought they were going

to run. We just didn’t tackle. But sometimes really good backs can

make you look like poor tacklers.”

Estancia will face another strong running back Thursday when it

battles Ramiro Chavez and Saddleback at Newport Harbor High.

The question is whether Fertig will have junior Geo Macias at his

disposal. Macias left Friday’s game with a knee injury.

“We won’t know [his status] until [today],” Fertig said. “We don’t

know whether it’s bruised, a sprain or if he tore something. Let’s

pray for the bruise.”

Macias is Mr. Do-it-all for Estancia. He starts at wide receiver

and cornerback, returns kicks and punts and also serves as Estancia’s

punter and kicker. Senior Noe Martinez filled in at kicker and punter

for Macias after he left Friday’s game. Fertig said Martinez filled

in admirably and has a strong foot, but Macias’ injury left Fertig in

a quandary when he wanted to go for an onside kick Friday.

“Noe had not worked on the onside kick,” Fertig said. “I wanted to

go for it. But he hadn’t practiced it.”

Martinez is sure to get plenty of practice this week. Fertig also

plans to prep quarterback Brad Young as a punter in case Martinez is

injured.

* SAGE HILL: Injuries have been a primary cause of the four losses

the Lightning have accrued this season.

On Friday, it was an arm injury to center Bryan Kornswiet that

dampened what was a dominating performance by Sage Hill’s offensive

line and defense in a 17-12 loss to Ribet Academy.

Kornswiet left the game on the first series after landing on his

arm. Without him, the Lightning (1-4) didn’t have a long snapper.

That eliminated the shotgun formation on offense and also prevented

Sage Hill from attempting a pair of conversion kicks and a field

goal.

“We haven’t had a game where we’ve stayed healthy all year,”

Lightning Coach Tom Monarch said.

Sage Hill will attempt to regain its health with a bye week prior

to its Oct. 24 game against Sherman Indian.

X-rays on Kornswiet’s arm were negative, but he is expected to see

a specialist this week. Lineman Kyle Ramer, who missed Friday’s game

because of a sprained ankle, is expected to return to the lineup.

Also, there is a possibility that sophomore running back Keya

Manshadi, who has missed the entire season with a leg injury, could

return in two weeks.