Mira Costa survived a second-half rally by visiting Downey Friday before pulling away with a 48-31 win, rebounding from a 70-34 home loss to Notre Dame two weeks ago.
The Mustangs jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter that was played mostly on Downey’s side of the field.
Running back Tre Searcy led Mira Costa (1-1) carrying the ball 25 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns. His interception on the third play of the game set up Justus Tavai’s 1-yard scoring run to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead.
“I just saw the ball in the air, went up top and caught it,” Searcy said. “We had to bounce back from Notre Dame, play better defense, make tackles and execute in all phases of the game.”
Searcy’s 27-yard touchdown run put Mira Costa up 14-0 and Tavai’s 1-yard run gave the Mustangs a 21-0 lead.
Downey (1-2) got on the board on a 5-yard touchdown run by Justin Huff with 2:43 left in the first quarter.
Searcy scored on a 3-yard run before a Downey drive, sparked by impressive runs by Huff, gave the Vikings a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. After the Mustang defense stopped Huff on three straight runs, Downey settled for a Omar Juarez field goal to make the score 27-10 at halftime.
Mira Costa’s offense failed to find any rhythm in the third quarter and Downey began to utilize its speed to get back in the game.
Jalen Thompson scored on a 55-yard pass play from quarterback Rafeeq Rahim in the third quarter and Huff’s 2-yard touchdown pulled Downey to within four with 8:33 remaining.
Mira Costa answered quickly, going 60 yards in 47 seconds on a drive highlighted by a 29-yard pass over the middle to tight end Dane Largent. Quarterback Jacob Silvera scored on a 12-yard keeper to give the Mustangs an 11-point lead.
“It was nice to get the reception,” Largent said. “Downey is a really good team. They have a lot of agility and a lot of great athletes. It’s always fun to play them.”
Downey responded 33 seconds later when Daevon Vigilant scored on a 16-yard run. His run on a successful 2-point conversion attempt narrowed the margin to 34-31.
Searcy’s third touchdown of the night gave Mira Costa a 41-31 lead and Tate Montana’s interception thwarted Downey’s last chance at a comeback.
“The second half was a gut check,” Searcy said. “We had to see who wanted it more. I knew we had it all along. I trust my teammates.”
The Mustangs ran down the clock with Silvera scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 32 seconds left. Silvera finished the game with 139 yards on 10 of 22 passing.
“It was chaos for awhile,” Mira Costa head coach Don Morrow said. “My hat’s off to our guys for finding a way to get it done. The blitz-man stuff bothered us. They’re really athletic at the skill positions especially when they get outside. There were a lot more crisp tackles tonight than in the Notre Dame game. Getting the first win is great for the guys.”
