Costa Mesa football edges rival Estancia, clinching first playoff berth since 2013
It came down to a matter of inches.
On Friday night, the Costa Mesa High football team was trying to beat crosstown rival Estancia in the Battle for the Bell game for the first time since 2013.
That would secure a third-place finish in the Orange Coast League and a trip to the postseason, also for the first time in eight years.
Nobody said it would be easy, but a late goal-line stand propelled the Mustangs to a 14-7 home win in the regular-season finale for both schools. Costa Mesa students rushed the field to celebrate.
Costa Mesa (5-5, 3-2 in league) got city champions medals from Costa Mesa United, and a postgame dinner at Newport Rib Co. The Mustangs also get to practice next week.
Estancia (4-6, 1-4), which finished in fifth place in league, saw its season more than likely end.
“It means a lot, because it’s been a long time since we’ve had the bell,” said Mesa senior running back Kobe Lemari, who scored the go-ahead 12-yard touchdown run with 1:30 remaining in the game. “It’s good to have it back. I thank my teammates and my coaches for making this happen. It’s not just me; it’s my teammates.”
The margin was razor-thin. The Eagles drove the field and had a first-and-goal at the Costa Mesa one-yard line with 16 seconds remaining, after a 13-yard scamper by senior quarterback Cameron Knickerbocker. Estancia coach Mike Bargas used his final timeout.
Estancia ran an option, with Knickerbocker running right. He was met at the goal line by a group including John Simco, Kendrick Figueroa and Riley Weinstein.
Though the Eagles players initially celebrated, the referees said that Knickerbocker didn’t get in. In the confusion, and without any timeouts, Estancia was unable to get another snap off before the clock hit zeroes.
Bargas, usually diplomatic after the game, was furious.
“They did not stop him,” he said. “Worst officiating I’ve ever seen. I feel like we had to play against not only Costa Mesa but the officiating team as well. You know how I am, but that’s a bunch of crap right there. They took the game away from our kids.”
Bargas said he was also upset at a holding penalty called in the third quarter. The call negated a 25-yard touchdown run by Noah Aires that would have given Estancia a 14-7 lead.
“I think our kids played hard, and our defense was good,” he said. “I’m not going to call them unlucky breaks … we had a lot of nemeses on this field. I’m all about victory with honor, and I love the officiating crews. But tonight, I hope these guys really study this film.”
With the score tied 7-7, the game seemed destined for overtime late. Costa Mesa was faced with a fourth-and-14 situation from the Estancia 37-yard line, after junior quarterback Garrett Richards was sacked by Estancia senior Marcos Linares.
But Richards went deep to his 6-foot-7 receiver, junior Riley Weinstein, who made a 20-foot catch in heavy traffic to keep the drive alive. A play later, Lemari found room rushing left and scored the go-ahead touchdown.
In the matchup between Weinstein and Estancia’s 5-foot-6 cornerback Asa Davis, Davis held his own, but Weinstein delivered with the game on the line.
Weinstein said he and Davis are friends, and shared some good-natured trash talk before the game.
“Before the game, everyone was like, ‘We’re going to need you to make a big-time play,’” Weinstein said. “I knew it was coming. I knew I had to do something, had to beat him. I just went up for it, and I was not dropping that ball.”
Costa Mesa struck first on a 12-play drive that concluded when Richards scored on a two-yard keeper. The Mustangs, who controlled the time of possession in the first half, led 7-0 at halftime.
The Mustangs almost had a 14-0 halftime lead. But on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line midway through the second quarter, Richards was stuffed by Josh Romero. Oswaldo Sanchez recovered the fumble on the play.
Estancia tied the score on a one-yard touchdown run by Romero midway through the third quarter. The offenses sputtered, as the teams combined to turn the ball over on downs on three straight possessions before the Mustangs’ eventual game-winning drive.
It may have been too close for comfort. But Costa Mesa, led by first-year coach Van Tuinei, owns the city again for the first time since 2013.
The Mustangs will find out their playoff division and first-round opponent when the CIF Southern Section releases the draws Sunday at 10 a.m.
“We knew it was going to come down to the wire, but not like that,” said Tuinei, who played defensive end for four seasons in the NFL. “It was really close. It was a tough game, well-coached on both sides, but I’m glad our boys were able to pull it off. They had to dig deep for this one.
“I’m proud of them. They really wanted it, and the team that wanted it was going to win. I’m not going to take away [from Estancia]. They have a good team, they had a good game plan. But we also had a pretty good game plan against them, compared to the past. These kids stepped up.”
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Orange Coast League
Costa Mesa 14, Estancia 7
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Estancia 0 – 0 – 7 – 0 — 7
Costa Mesa 7 – 0 – 0 – 7 — 14
FIRST QUARTER
CM – Richards 2 run (Behena kick), 4:33.
THIRD QUARTER
E – Romero 1 run (Velasquez kick), 5:37.
FOURTH QUARTER
CM – Lemari 12 run (Behena kick), 1:30.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
E – Aires, 16-93.
CM – Lemari, 24-119, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
E – Knickerbocker, 8-14-0, 78.
CM – Richards, 8-14-0, 105.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
E – Thomas, 3-48.
CM – Weinstein, 3-59.
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