COSTA MESA – It was a rude awakening for Corona del Mar’s football team in its first postseason in the CIF-SS Southwest Division last year.
The Sea Kings had won three consecutive CIF-SS Southern Division titles, but Trabuco Hills took Corona del Mar out in the second round.
A very different story played out in the rematch.
Behind a power-running game, Corona del Mar defeated Trabuco Hills, 42-17, Friday night in a CIF-SS Southwest Division first-round game at Estancia High.
The Sea Kings (9-2) will face Buena Park, which routed Yorba Linda, 49-7. The Coyotes, the Freeway League’s second seed, will have home-field advantage thanks to a pregame coin flip.
Quarterback Chase Garbers threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 117 yards, including a 44-yard TD.
The Sea Kings rushed for 370 yards as a team. Jaydin Moses led Corona del Mar with 199 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought we were phenomenal in the run game,” Sea Kings coach Dan O’Shea said. “Our offensive line won that football game. I could not be more proud of our offensive line.”
Garbers was also complimentary of his offensive line. The blocking unit of Mitch Dean, Garrett Cleary, Arwin Rahmatpanah, Bryan Samudro, and Connor Reid did not allow a sack, and the junior QB said that is all he could ask for.
O’Shea, who succeeded Scott Meyer as Corona del Mar coach after he took the Servite job, said the rematch wasn’t about making a statement for him.
There were, however, some players with long memories of last year’s loss.
“It was just about coming out and showing them who the real Sea Kings are and what we have to offer,” Garbers said.
Garbers threw two touchdown passes to Peter Bush (126 total yards), and one each to Reece Perez and Billy Shaw.
Corona del Mar led Trabuco Hills, 28-10, at the half. The Mustangs (3-8) were in a must-score situation coming out of the break. They got it when Cooper Uhl hit running back Chad Crosbie for a 58-yard score to make it an 11-point margin.
A 22-yard receiving score by Bush made it 35-17, and Cameron Kormos deflected a pass in the end zone in the fourth to thwart the Mustangs’ comeback.
Crosbie had 165 total yards, and Campbell Conway had 100 receiving yards and touchdown.