MISSION VIEJO – Trabuco Hills had too many weapons and too much defense for Fountain Valley on Friday night.
In a meeting of teams just outside the Register’s Top 25, the 26th-ranked Mustangs ground out a 31-13 victory over the No. 27 Barons at Trabuco Hills.
Tommy Germain hit 14 of 23 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and workhorse running back Jake Cuerro gained 67 yards on 24 carries as Trabuco Hills (2-1) made a bid to re-enter the Top 25.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs defense held the Barons to 64 yards rushing, recorded four sacks and capped the win with an interception by Jacob Dolendo.
Fountain Valley (0-3), which rotated three quarterbacks throughout the game, has managed just 20 points this season.
The Barons got off to a rough start, fumbling the opening kickoff to set up a short Trabuco Hills touchdown drive. Germain hit Rennon Misiuk with a 6-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead just 2:06 into the game.
Fountain Valley’s best weapon was getting the ball into the hands of speedy sophomore receiver Kishaun Sykes. Starting quarterback Angel Hernandez found Sykes with a short sideline pass that went for 67 yards and a 7-7 tie with still 8:40 left in the first quarter.
Sykes wound up with 161 yards on five catches and ran three times for another 35 yards, but Trabuco Hills limited him to those eight offensive plays for the night.
The Mustangs regained a 10-7 lead on their next possession with a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Brosnan, then pulled away with three unanswered touchdowns. Cuerro scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter, and Colby Rooker took a screen pass from Germain 17 yards for a 24-7 lead with 4:55 left in the half.
The Mustangs further deflated the Barons at the end of the half, when Misiuk tackled Josh Tellez for a loss on fourth-and-goal.
Tellez was the scrambling quarterback in Fountain Valley’s rotation, and Garrett Horn was the passer, hitting Tellez on a 42-yard touchdown pass for the Barons’ final score. Horn threw for 180 yards, albeit on 11-of-31 accuracy.
