Andrew Fasano
Staff Writer
Despite a muffed snap leading to a turnover on the first drive of the game, the Mustangs were able to come back to defeat Torrance High School 40-0 in their first game of the season.
After forcing Torrance to punt, Mustangs running back, junior Vashon Hill broke free for a 30 yard gain. Three plays later, Hill was able to find the end zone from 16 yards out giving the Mustangs the early 7-0 lead.
“Despite the rough start, I think the team played well, especially in the second half,” Hill said. “We were constantly able to move the ball down the field leading to score after score which motivated us to get the win.”
Early into the second quarter, the Mustangs were able to march down field after recovering a fumble inside their own red zone. Senior quarterback David Arredondo threw an eight yard touchdown pass to senior Andrei Bato who caught the ball after it had been deflected by the defender.
“That catch made the whole team and the sideline hype,” Bato said. “It only boosted the team’s confidence to continue playing and finish the game strong.”
According to defensive coordinator Coach Aarasmith, there were many stand outs on both offense and defense which include, Arredondo, Hill, and junior linebacker Cody Kallenbach. Arredondo passed for a touchdown and ran one in from three yards out to widen the Mustangs margin.
“We played slow in the first quarter, but better as the game progressed,” Arredondo said. “I still feel there is room for improvement, because we can’t just settle for a good performance.”
Just before halftime, the Mustangs were able to make one final drive downfield to have senior kicker Zack Saros execute a 35 yard field goal. Saros also converted four extra points and nailed a 45 yard field goal throughout the game.
“I am very happy with the team’s performance to start off the season because we all worked our butts off,” Saros said. “It was also a great feeling to kick as well as I did today with this game being my varsity debut.”
Mira Costa’s defense was able to shut out Torrance by recording three sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception. According to Coach Aarasmith, many players played well as expected, but there is still a long way to go until the end of the season, so the team will take the season one game at a time.
“You have to win one game in order to win two,” Coach Aarasmith said. “A lot of new kids were playing new positions, so we have a long way to go, but overall we were very happy with both the offense and defense tonight.”
The Mustangs start the season 1-0 overall, where they look to match up against La Serna High School at home Friday night. According to Arredondo, the team chemistry isn’t quite where it needs to be, but he has no doubt it won’t quickly improve.
“I was very happy with everyone staying positive after a rough start,” Arredondo said. “Right now I feel our team chemistry is average, but if we get on each other enough, it will be normal as we’ll know we are doing it for the good of the team.”
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