ANAHEIM – Cameron Curet’s 42-yard punt return with 3:37 remaining in the first half and the ensuing two-point conversion that he ran in proved to make the difference as Costa Mesa beat Savanna 15-6 in a nonleague game at Glover Stadium on Saturday night.
Curet’s score put the Mustangs (4-1) ahead, 8-0, after the first 20:23 of the game went scoreless.
It wasn’t until the last minute of the game that Curet helped Costa Mesa put the contest away on his 4-yard run to conclude a three-play, 2-yard series that lasted 2:21.
Curet had 16 rushes for 40 yards, while teammate Jonathan Brucales added 69 yards on 23 carries.
Several injuries to the team did not hamper the Mustangs, who trailed the Rebels (1-3) in total yardage, 231-130.
“We had some guys step up and play positions that they normally don’t play and they stayed together,” said Costa Mesa coach Glen Fisher. “They worked really hard and they found a way to pull out a win against a very scrappy team.”
Savanna took advantage of its best field position in the opening half when it started at its 45 with 48 seconds to play. It needed just three plays to get to within 8-6 after Nate Gonzalez’s 46-yard pass to Angel Roberts with 22 seconds prior to the break, completing a 55-yard drive that lasted just 26 seconds. Gonzalez’s pass on the two-point conversion fell incomplete.
Gonzalez went 6 for 10 passing with an interception for 103 yards while Roberts finished with a game-high 71 on 12 carries and led all receivers with one reception for 46 yards.
After the Costa Mesa defense thwarted the Rebels’ first two drives of the second half, which advanced into Mustangs territory, junior Ray Welsher made sure that the Rebels wouldn’t get past the 50with his team clinging to a two-point lead. Welsher sacked Gonzalez with 2:18 to play in the contest .
Costa Mesa has taken two of the last three meetings with Savanna, with both victories coming at Glover Stadium.
The Mustangs open Orange Coast League play at Laguna Beach on Oct. 9, while the Rebels host Santiago at Glover Stadium on Friday.
