By Alyssa Zucker
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa football, spirit, and band programs’ had their Senior Night on Oct. 26, and the football team brought home the win. The Olympians and the Mustangs played at Waller Stadium with an ending score of 49-0, Mustangs.
The Mustangs’ flawless defense helped the offense score its seven touchdowns. The seniors put on a show with 49 unanswered points. Going into their last Bay League game, Costa has a 3-1 record.
“It always feels good to win, but it feels even better for it to be out first shutout,” junior running back Brandon Mills said. “After our setback against Palos Verdes, we have focused more of our attention on the basics.”
In the first quarter, senior defensive player Luke Hale was carried off the field due to an ankle injury. Hale’s injury did not put down Costa’s morale, and they scored twice in the first quarter. The first touchdown was made by junior running back Sebastian Franck-Love, and the second by senior quarterback Khalil McClain. The quarter ended 14-0, Mustangs.
“It was a great Senior Night,” McClain said. “It was a little bittersweet. It made me think how fast time flies and that I need to cherish every moment.”
A first down from McClain gave Mills a chance to score the third touchdown of the game, giving the Mustangs a 21-0 lead. A punt return from senior Raphael Lawson-Gayle to the 25-yard line gave Costa the momentum it needed as senior running back Jack Hadley scored the last touchdown of the half to make the score 28-0, Mustangs.
“I felt really confident before the play,” Hadley said. “Everything was working well; we had no turnovers and no punts for the first time all season.”
Junior Sebastian-Love scored his second touchdown of the game in the third to make the score 35-0. Senior quarterback Ryan Sweigart, coming off an ankle injury, came in and scored his first touchdown since his return, giving the Mustangs a 42-0. Later, Sweigart drove the Mustangs to the eight-yard line for a first down, and sophomore running back Trey Searcy scored his first touchdown of the season, ending the third quarter at 49-0, Mustangs.
“It felt really good to score,” Sweigart said. “The best part was getting the win. My ankle has bothered me all season long, but I am starting to get more comfortable playing on it.”
With a huge lead and injured players, the coaching staff gave the non-starters and underclassmen a shot on the field. With no scoring in the last quarter, it was a mostly defensive quarter. Sophomore linebacker Dane Largent had a couple of tackles in the fourth to help preserve the shutout.
“It is a lot of fun being one of the younger player in the program and getting to look forward to the rest of my high school career,” Largent said. “I did as well as I could to try to replace the injured players like Josh Qerbash and Tanner Bernard.”
Mira Costa has its last Bay League game Nov. 2 at Redondo High School. The Mustangs need at least a second-place to get into CIF, so the team is hoping for a win.
“We are not going to do anything crazy for our Redondo game,” Mills said. “To put it as simple as possible, we will go put 11 people on the field and give it our all.”
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