Bridgford, No. 1 Mission Viejo overcome slow start

But once Allan Bridgford and Co. found their stride, the top-ranked Diablos were too much for visiting Murrieta Valley.

Mission Viejo concluded its nonleague season with a 42-21 victory and started its countdown toward its South Coast League opener at Tesoro on Oct. 17. (Click here for full game stats.)

The Diablos (5-0) and Titans (5-0) each will have a bye next week. Last season, Tesoro upset Mission Viejo, 28-24, to claim the league title.

"That game is going to be nuts," said Bridgford, who shook off a slow start to pass for 230 yards and four touchdowns. “We’re really excited for that game.”

The Cal-bound Bridgford completed two of his first 10 attempts for 14 yards but heated up to complete 13 of his next 15 passes to finish 15 of 25 (60 percent).

The senior has passed for 1,368 yards, 21 touchdowns and been intercepted twice.

Mission Viejo offensive coordinator Bret Johnson credited the Diablos' offensive line for protecting Bridgford, who wasn't sacked for the second consecutive game.

While Bridgford missed some reads early, Johnson said, running back Jake Marshall started fast. The junior rushed for 104 of his 146 yards on his nine first-quarter carries.

The Diablos finished with 488 yards in offense against a Murrieta Valley defense that entered the game allowing 13.3 points a game. Still, Johnson said the Diablos played a "little lethargic."
Murrieta Valley (2-2) finished with 398 yards of offense.

"We need to play a lot better in the upcoming games in the South Coast League," Johnson said.

Mission Viejo, ranked second in the Pac-5 Division behind No. 1 Long Beach Poly and sixth in Southern California by CalHiSports.com, led 7-6 with less than seven minutes left in the first half. The Diablos then erupted for 21 points before halftime.

The Diablos' late surge started with a 78-yard scoring drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Marshall with 3:33 left in the first half.

Leading 14-6, Mission Viejo's defense then forced consecutive three-and-out possessions deep in Murrieta Valley territory. The Nighthawks, ranked ninth in the Inland Division, managed punts of 8 and 14 yards on the possessions and Bridgford capitalized on the excellent field position. He capped shorts drives by throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to UCLA-bound Alex Mascarenas with 1:34 left in the first half and a 36-yard touchdown to Kevin Chandler with 34 seconds later.

"We've had some slow starts the last couple games but once we get rolling, we really start firing on offense," Bridgford said.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com