Mustangs beaten

Roger Carlson

Costa Mesa High’s reign as Golden West League football champion

officially came to an end Friday night, the Mustangs coming up short,

20-6, as Westminster’s Lions improved to 8-1, 5-0 in league, setting

up a title showdown with Orange in next week’s regular-season finale.

It wasn’t, however, an end to postseason hopes for Coach Dave

Perkins’ unpredictable Mustangs, who still have the potential to tie

up loose ends and turn adversity into a solid finish.

“We’ve still got a shot,” said Costa Mesa Coach Dave Perkins in

the aftermath of what became a near-miss down the stretch. “We can

finish 6-4 and the kids deserve it. We’ve just got to win Friday

night [against Santa Ana] and hope for good things to happen.”

There was hope for good things to happen in the fourth quarter

when the Mustangs drove 77 yards and scored with a pass from

quarterback Bruce Wilkinson to receiver Jeff Waldron from 20 yards

out to pare the deficit to 13-6 with 6:40 remaining at Newport Harbor

High.

Hope soared on the ensuing Westminster drive as the Mustangs’

defense stuffed the Lions on their first two rushing plays. But with

third-and-11 from the Westminster 23, Lions quarterback Tommy Le

lofted a deep pass to receiver Livingston Tautua.

Tautua, who had scored with TD passes from 34 and 83 yards out,

went high into the air, colliding with Mesa defender Tony Krikorian.

Both players landed and Krikorian had the ball as he got up in front

of the Mesa bench. It was ruled that Tautua had possession when he

landed, but controversy rose on a potential offensive interference

call, which did not come.

Instead, the Lions were out of danger and responded on the next

play with a 35-yard scoring burst from Carlos Brooks to put the game

out of reach, 20-6, with 4:41 left.

“They’re a big play team and they did that tonight,” said Perkins.

“We stopped them, and then ...”

Costa Mesa falls to 5-4, 2-3, and is still in the hunt for an

at-large berth. But it most likely must find its way to the playoffs

through a maze of other contenders such as California High, El Rancho

and La Serna.

Mesa struggled in the first half as the offense was stacked up at

the line of scrimmage. The Mustangs netted just 24 yards on the

ground and had but one first down, a 39-yard pass from up-back Gary

Gonzalez to Jorge Quiroz on a punting situation.

Westminster, meanwhile, controlled the clock, but had to settle

for a 7-0 halftime lead with an 87-yard march. It was triggered by a

22-yard pass from Le to Alfred Tau to the Mesa 34 and capped on the

next snap when Le went deep to Tautua, who caught the ball in traffic

deep in the end zone.

On Westminster’s first series, which got as deep as the Mesa

9-yard line, the Lions were turned back when Junior Epenesa broke

through to block a 31-yard field-goal attempt.

The Lions struck on their second series of the third quarter when

Le hit Tautua 10 yards deep and the latter split a pair of Mesa

defenders and raced to the end zone to complete the 83-yard scoring

play.

The Mustangs responded with a 77-yard drive, helped along by four

major penalties against Westminster, netting 55 yards. Mesa capped it

with Wilkinson’s pass to Waldron, who caught the ball at the 10 and

raced in to complete the 20-yard scoring play.

With 6:40 left, there was plenty of time for things to happen.

And with the defense, led by Quiroz and Vargas on Westminster’s

ensuing series, Mesa’s sideline turned into a whirlwind, only to see

it all come apart on that fateful, third-and-11 deep pass to set up

the final scoring run.

Perkins would not comment on the non-call, but it seemed evident

to most, fate was not kind to the Mustangs.

Mesa’s only other scoring threat came in the first quarter when

Waldron intercepted and returned the ball 9 yards to the Westminster

29.

A major penalty took the Mustangs out of reach and they wound up

punting.

Omar Ruiz was Costa Mesa’s workhorse, munching out 66 yards on 18

carries.

Brooks was Westminster’s punch on the ground, netting 108 yards on

20 carries.