Mira Costa proved the age-old adage “defense wins championships” true last Friday, turning in the team’s second straight shutout to knock down rival Redondo 25-0 with a convincing road victory that earned the Mustangs their third consecutive Bay League title.
Defensive Coordinator Ray Lee’s unit held Redondo to only 30 yards and two first downs in the game while keeping Ryan Spiwak and the Redondo running game in check with a minus-three yards rushing. Mira Costa’s defense has not allowed a point in the first quarter this year, the only two blemishes coming on a safety in the fourth game of season.
“It’s a Mustang tradition to win the Bay League,” All-CIF defensive lineman J.R. Tavai said. “Our defense is one of a kind. We have a five-foot-one guy that plays like he’s six-foot-three. It’s that kind of team.”
Running back Deon Morris, who finished the game with 142 yards on 24 carries, gave Mira Costa all it needed with a one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. After Princeton-bound Brendan Sofen nailed his first of three second-quarter field goals, tight end Derek Largent hauled in a 51-yard pass to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Tajee Mobley.
“I should’ve scored but it just didn’t happen,” said Largent, who also plays linebacker. “This is an amazing thing to be a part of. We’re getting better each and every week. Everyone on our defense works together on every play, things come together and big plays happen.”
Redondo suffered a blow when its best lineman, John Miller, had to be carted off the field with a broken lower leg. Yet the scrappy Sea Hawks refused to roll over, holding Mira Costa to 70 yards in the second half.
“We’re proud of the way we played in the second half and we just want to keep that energy going into the playoffs,” lineman Adam Ammentorp said. “Losing John (Miller) is definitely a setback. He’s was heart of our line and we’ll have to make some major adjustments, that’s for sure.”
“We probably should have tried to spread them out there a little bit, but the game was going at a tempo and the score was in our favor, so I think at that point you just try to protect the ball,” Mira Costa head coach Don Morrow said. “We’re going to have to probably figure out how to be a little more balanced than that. We work on it. It’s not for lack of trying.”
After winning the CIF Western Division title in 2009, Mira Costa has played with a bulls eye on its back all season and, successfully defending the Bay League title in what was considered a rebuilding year, made Morrow smile.
“It feels pretty good, especially since we’ve got a lot of young guys,” Morrow said. “It’s also great for J.R. (Tavai) and Brett (Darragh) and the guys that have been with us all these years. The thing that is real satisfying is to see these players develop. A lot of these guys are so much further along than they were 10 weeks ago. We’ll see what we can do and put something together for next week.”
It won’t be easy for Mira Costa and the other Bay League representatives who have moved into the tough Northern Division this season as the CIF Southern Section-Ford Championships begin Friday. All playoff games are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. unless mutually agreed upon.
Three Northern Division teams are in the top 20 in the MaxPreps.com state rankings with St. Bonaventure (9-1) listed fifth, followed by Westlake (9-1) in the sixth spot. Oaks Christian (8-2) is No. 16 yet the Lions earned the top seed in the Northern Division where three of the top four seeds come from the Marmonte League.
Mira Costa (7-3) hosts Moorpark (5-5), the fifth entry from the Marmonte League which is ranked 66th in the state and has been a division runner-up four of the last five seasons. The Mustangs are ranked 74th in the state.
Mira Costa enters the post season with a six game winning streak while Moorpark is coming off a 29-28 overtime loss to Thousand Oaks. The Musketeer’s only loss of more than seven points came in a 35-14 defeat to Westlake in mid-October.
Moorpark quarterback Grant Rohach completed 14-of-24 passes for 133 yards last week and also carried the six times for 30 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite receiver is Cheldon West, running back Tyler Peterson adds balance to the offense and kick returner Jayce Foster had returns of 85 and 45 yards last week.
The Musketeer defense is led by linebacker Quinn Bauducco.
Redondo (6-4) must travel to Ventura to face Marmonte runner-up St. Bonaventure (9-1), whose only loss came in the second week of the season in a 33-32 overtime defeat against Oaks Christian. The Seraphs have outscored opponents 443-133 while recording three shutouts.
Junior quarterback Marc Evans (6-2, 210) has thrown 15 touchdown passes in the last five games. Running back Shaun Wick (5-11, 185) rushed for 119 yards on five carries last week.
St. Bonaventure boasts a large line with seven players listed at more than 240 pounds including highly-recruited junior David Barajas (6-3, 317).
Bay League runner-up Palos Verdes (9-1) will host West Ranch (6-4) in an opening round game to be played at Redondo Union High School.
In the Northwest Division, local teams earned the second and third seeds. Pioneer League champion South (9-1) enters the playoffs as the second seed and will host Santa Paul (5-5) Friday. Del Rey champion Bishop Montgomery (9-1) went from a 1-9 team in 2009 to gaining a third seed this year.
Pioneer runner-up North (7-3) hosts Santa Ynez (5-5) and El Segundo (6-4) travels to take on Los Padres champion Lompoc (7-3).
In the Northeast Division, Chadwick (8-2) earned an at-large berth and will play at Sante Fe champion St. Monica (8-2).
In the Western Division, Mission League champion Serra (10-0) earned the top seed and will host Beverly Hills (6-4) in the first round. ER
