Costa Mesa football closes strong with three-game winning streak
ANAHEIM — Costa Mesa made a statement down the stretch, its three-game winning streak to close the football season propelling it up the Tango League standings, and further signaling a change in direction for the Mustangs after some lean years.
Gavin Garza rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns, as visiting Costa Mesa defeated Loara 47-14 on Thursday in the regular season finale at Glover Stadium.
Costa Mesa (7-3, 3-2 in the Tango League) vaulted into second place in the league standings. The Mustangs’ seven wins outnumber the five produced over the prior two seasons.
“This school has had a lot of turnover, and being teachers here on campus, we knew that it needed stability,” said Gary Gonzalez, the third-year coach of the Mustangs. “We knew it needed to be grown again, and we knew it was going to take over two years to do it.”
While Gonzalez acknowledged the reconfiguration of football leagues across Orange County helped, he said the culture within the program has changed for the better.
“They’re a bunch of really good kids, and they’re smart kids, and they’re coachable kids, which has been a blessing for us,” Gonzalez said. “We’re really young still. We have eight graduating seniors, and out of those eight, five start on both sides of the football. We are a program on the rise, and we’re really excited for now — and also the future. We’re also excited to potentially host a CIF home game.”
Along the way, the Mustangs earned wins over Bolsa Grande (5-5, 3-2) and La Quinta (7-2, 2-2), both of which entered the final week among a four-team block of two-win hopefuls for one of the last two guaranteed berths for the league into the CIF Southern Section football playoffs.
Santiago (4-6, 2-3) dropped out of the deadlock with a loss to Bolsa Grande on Thursday. The result between league-champion Anaheim (7-2, 4-0) and La Quinta on Friday night was not available by the Daily Pilot’s deadline.
Costa Mesa found itself in a deep hole after beginning league play with two losses, including one against Santiago in which the offense saw little of the ball before halftime.
“There was a valley there, there was a lull, and we were trying to correct it,” Gonzalez said. “We had to make some adjustments, we had to make some personnel changes, and I think it kind of sparked us a little bit. We really honed in with our captains, and we said, ‘Hey, we’re going to turn this around, and I need you guys to be a part of it.’
“We were really tough with them in practice. We were just trying to really get them going again, and it looked like it paid off.”
Andrew Waiss’ 30-yard rushing touchdown in the final two minutes was the difference in a 48-43 shootout victory for the Mustangs last week.
The junior quarterback connected with Caden Oliver four times for 123 yards. Waiss added five carries for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
Costa Mesa’s sideline enjoyed watching the reserves play for much of the second half. Jack Shafiyoon scored his first varsity touchdown on a 19-yard pass from Aidan Quintos.
Ryan Lowry, a linebacker, also rushed around the edge and inside the left pylon for his first trip to the end zone.
“The week going into Bolsa, we knew that if we didn’t win it, we weren’t going [to the playoffs]. There’s no way,” Lowry said. “I think everyone collectively just knew that we had to do something. … Every week, we fought, we fought, we fought. We ended up doing it, and it was great.”
Garza, a sophomore, has rushed for 1,224 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The latest performance came behind an offensive line of Jaime Gutierrez, William Wedgwood, Jack Lambert, Yosgart Munoz and Fabian Zapien.
Israel Lopez added two tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery on defense.
The Mustangs gathered as a group, chanting “CIF” repeatedly after the win.
“It means a lot to me,” Garza said. “I’ve dreamed of stuff like this, and it’s like a dream come true.”
Tango League
Costa Mesa 47, Loara 14
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Costa Mesa 14 - 14 - 6 - 13 — 47
Loara 0 - 7 - 0 - 7 — 14
FIRST QUARTER
CM — Garza 65 run (Puga kick), 9:00.
CM — Garza 23 run (Puga kick), 0:10.
SECOND QUARTER
CM — Waiss 5 run (Puga kick), 6:45.
L — Williams 12 pass from Gomez (Medina kick), 2:36.
CM — Waiss 1 run (Puga kick), 0:26.
THIRD QUARTER
CM — Garza 3 run (Puga kick failed), 7:05.
FOURTH QUARTER
CM — Shafiyoon 19 pass from Quintos (Puga kick failed), 9:25.
CM — Lowry 10 run (Puga kick), 6:05.
L — Jimenez 61 pass from Gomez (Medina kick), 2:59.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
CM — Garza, 9-127, 3 TDs; Waiss, 5-47, 2 TDs.
L — Torres, 1-24.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
CM — Waiss, 7-8-0, 138.
L — Gomez, 16-24-0, 199, 2 TDs.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
CM — Oliver, 4-123.
L — Jimenez, 3-72, 1 TD.
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