Mesa out four for first round

COSTA MESA — Coach Jeremy Osso knew three starters and a key backup struggling with their grades would help Costa Mesa High win its first outright league football championship since 2002.

The Mustangs claimed the Orange Coast League title with a thrilling 38-30 come-from-behind victory against Laguna Beach last Friday.

Those four players contributing won’t be with Costa Mesa (5-5) in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division first-round playoff game against Santiago (8-2) at Estancia High Friday.

Osso said Wednesday that junior quarterback Todd Davis, senior cornerback John Galvin, and sophomore linebackers Thomas Munoz and Nick Cendoya have been ruled academically ineligible for the rest of the season.

“We knew [last] Friday night we would lose them, but it didn’t go into effect until Monday,” Osso said of losing the four players to eligibility.

“You’re disappointed because you worked so hard to get [to the playoffs]. You try to get there [at] full strength and then not to be there [at] full strength is disappointing.”

The Mustangs entered the playoffs on a roll, winning five straight games.

With the setback of losing four players and possibly a fifth because Osso said the Mustangs might be without senior nose guard Brandy Menke because of personal issues, Costa Mesa will try to regroup before playing Santiago.

Osso said Brian Waldron will start at quarterback against Santiago, which shared the Garden Grove League title with two other teams.

The junior rallied Costa Mesa in the regular-season finale against Laguna Beach, scoring two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

“It’s nice to have as your backup quarterback a guy who started for you [last season],” said Osso, who plans to start junior Luis Gomez at cornerback and move senior Robbie Gemayel to inside linebacker and start junior Tim Nguyen at outside linebacker. “We’ve faced adversity before. It’s just a matter of those guys filling in again.

“It just now becomes more two-way players. We got to dig down deeper.”

Osso is correct if Costa Mesa plans to win its first opening-round playoff game since 1997.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].