MISSION VIEJO – Jordan Bocko had no intentions of making Thursday night’s regular-season finale against Aliso Niguel his last game of the season.
“We treated this game like it was the playoffs,” the Capistrano Valley junior said. “You win the game, you may get to the playoffs. You lose, you go home.”
After their second-half performance, Bocko and the rest of his Capistrano Valley teammates might just get a shot at the real deal.
Bocko rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns and the Cougars’ defense forced seven turnovers to push past visiting Aliso Niguel, 40-18, in a Sea View League matchup Thursday night.
Capistrano Valley (7-3, 2-2) scored 40 consecutive points en route to the regular-season finale win, which strengthens its chance of an at-large berth in the playoffs.
With San Clemente and Trabuco Hills poised to take the top two spots in the league, the Cougars should be in line for one of the Southwest’s three at-large bids.
But securing the game and a potential playoff spot, for a moment, seemed like a tall task.
Aliso Niguel (4-5, 1-2) took a 12-0 lead late in the first when Ryan Souza scooped up a fumble on a Capistrano Valley pass that was thrown behind the line of scrimmage. The junior then raced 39 yards down the field for the score.
Aliso Niguel failed on two field goal attempts of 40 and 32 yards in the second quarter.
On Capistrano Valley’s first play following the Wolverines’ second failed attempt, Bocko took a hand-off up the middle and ran it down the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown.
With a more than a minute remaining in the half, the Cougars’ defense recovered a muffed punt return at their own 34 and two plays later Billy Biehn ran it in from 8 yards out to give Capistrano Valley a 13-12 halftime lead.
The Cougars went on to score 27 points in the second half, highlighted by Bocko’s 13-yard TD run and Trevor Wise’s 58-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.
