Motivated Mesa enters Lions’ den

Barry Faulkner

The Costa Mesa High football team enters Friday’s 7 p.m. Golden

West League game at Westminster on the heels of back-to-back

victories over league title contender Orange and crosstown rival

Estancia.

But if the Lions (4-3, 3-1 in league) are counting on any kind of

letdown from the Mustangs (5-2, 3-0), they may be disappointed.

“Our kids are focused on their mission,” said Mesa Coach Dave

Perkins, who has, so far, been able to reduce the definition of same

to the current opponent.

There are, however, additional motivating factors, should the

one-game-at-a-time approach be wearing a little thin.

First, the Mustangs, on a four-game winning streak, are looking to

avenge a surprising 22-16 nonleague loss last season at Westminster.

Additionally, Perkins has told his team a win, which would give

Mesa a 4-0 league record, would wrap up one of the league’s three

guaranteed postseason berths, though, technically, additional events

would still need to take place before the Mustangs can start selling

playoff tickets.

A 4-0 league start, however, would not only bolster Mesa’s playoff

posture, but set up a likely Golden West title showdown Nov. 8 with

Santa Ana, the only other team without a league loss.

Westminster, the defending league champion, is looking to revive

its title hopes, having lost its Oct. 11 meeting with Santa Ana,

33-28.

Coach Ted McMillen’s Lions will also present a different look than

the Mustangs have seen in recent weeks.

“It’s a very balanced team and we’ve been playing teams that have

not been balanced,” Perkins said. “Ocean View threw it all over the

field and Orange and Santiago ran it.”

Westminster’s balance relies on a host of ball carriers and

three-year starting quarterback Fidel Gonzalez, whose career

highlight reel might just start with last year’s game against Mesa.

Gonzalez threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns against the

Mustangs last fall, completing 12 of 20 with one interception. The

287 yards were the most the Mustangs have surrendered through the air

in their last 110 games, dating back to 1992. Gonzalez has victimized

plenty of others too. He comes in with 250 career completions for

3,887 yards and 28 touchdowns, though he has thrown 34 interceptions.

Perkins said Gonzalez will encounter little of the man-to-man

coverage he exploited last season.

“We haven’t run man coverage more than twice in seven games,”

Perkins said. “And they don’t have a big receiver like they did last

year (6-foot-3 Akilah Lacey, who averaged more than 40 yards on his

four receptions against Mesa last season).”

The Lions’ running game is keyed by Carlos Brooks, who has

collected 544 rushing yards and two TDs on 66 carries.

Chris Renk (16 catches for 228 yards and two TDs), Mike Laurel (11

catches for 184 yards and one TD), and Livingston Tautua (11

receptions for 166 yards and two TDs) are Gonzalez’s primary targets.

Balance has not been an issue for the Costa Mesa offense, which

makes no apologies for its smashmouth tendencies.

Led by senior fullback Keola Asuega, whose 1,163 yards and 13 TDs

this fall give him 3,074 yards and 41 TDs for his three-year varsity

career, the Mustangs have amassed 83% of their 2,222 offensive yards

on the ground.

Asuega, No. 2 on the all-time list of Costa Mesa ground gainers,

is 146 yards shy of moving ahead of Ray Ohrel (Mesa and Newport

Harbor), J.R. Walz (Corona del Mar) and James Dawkins (Estancia) into

the No. 2 spot on the Newport-Mesa all-time rushing yardage list.

Binh Tran, who gained 4,333 yards from 1991-93, is the all-time

leader for both Costa Mesa and the Newport-Mesa District.

Asuega’s 41 career touchdowns also have him in position to surpass

Tran (44) and former Newport Harbor standout Steve Brazas (45) on the

all-time Newport-Mesa list.

Junior tailback Omar Ruiz has 432 yards and five TDs on 88 carries

and the Mustangs have also relied on Nate Hunter and Tyler Waldron to

keep opposing defenses off balance.

The Westminster defense includes returning All-CIF linebacker

Kevin Delahoussaye.

Costa Mesa’s defense comes off arguably its best game of the year,

in which it held Estancia to minus-47 yards on the ground and just 43

yards of total offense in a 41-0 win.

Westminster is 5-3 against Mesa in a series that dates back to

1961.