Mission Viejo shows how to hold on to No. 1 spot

MISSION VIEJO - Mission Viejo took over the top spot in the county rankings earlier this week, a spot the Diablos have grown accustomed to in the 2000s.

The No. 1 ranking has been a tricky spot for teams this season. Just ask Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei.

Mission Viejo handled it like the seasoned program that it is, taking care of Vista, 42-20, in decisive fashion in a nonleague game on Friday night at Mission Viejo High.

“We're pretty used to No. 1,” Diablos coach Bob Johnson said. “We've been there a lot in the 2000s, and we like it. It's  something that we cherish and we're humble to be there, but at the same time we  sort of count on that. We're very used to it.”

And the Panthers were no slouches. They came in as the No. 8 team  in San Diego County. Mission Viejo had a 14-0 lead against Vista last season before the Panthers rallied to a 26-14 victory.

The Diablos had a 14-0 lead in the second quarter of Friday night's game but had closed the gap to 14-7 by halftime.

But the Diablos weren't about to let this one slip away. They seized control with four second-half touchdowns to put this one out of reach.

Mission Viejo did nearly all of  its damage through the air. Cal-bound quarterback Allan Bridgford and his favorite target, Kevin Chandler, had record-breaking nights.

Bridgford completed 18 of 30 passes for a school-record 442 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.

“It didn't seem like that much,” Bridgford said of breaking his own school record. He passed for 358 yards against San Clemente in 2007.

Chandler had seven catches, including a 78-yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage, for a school-record 235 yards.

Alex Mascarenas also had a big game, finishing with six catches  for 134 yards, including touchdown receptions of 21 and 82 yards.

Vista's first possession of the second half came to a screeching  halt after Joey McFadden fumbled and Mascarenas recovered at Mission Viejo's 43.

Seven plays later, Mascarenas caught a 21-yard  touchdown pass from Bridgford on a third-and-goal play to put the Diablos on  top, 21-7.

The Diablos caused five fumbles and recovered three. All led to touchdowns.

Mission Viejo improved to 4-0, while Vista dropped to 2-2.

Mission Viejo plays host to Murrieta Valley next Friday.

The Diablos have a bye the following week before hooking up with Tesoro on Oct. 17 in a game that should have South Coast League championship  implications all over it.

Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com