Third quarter propels Mission Viejo past LB Wilson
MISSION VIEJO With the score tied 14-14 at the half, Mission Viejo running back Exavier Edwards-Ford said the message in the locker room was simple.
“All coach (Bob Johnson) asked was ‘Who wants it more?’ ” Edwards-Ford said. “That’s all.”
The Diablos answered the call in the second half and rolled to a 41-14 victory over Long Beach Wilson Friday night in a CIF-SS Pac-5 Division first round game at Mission Viejo High.
After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, the Diablos (11-0) defense struggled to contain the Bruin offense.
Wilson (6-5) put together a 17-play scoring drive and added a 74-yard TD run by Ezell Ruffin midway through the second quarter to grab the 14-7 advantage.
“We came out slow and sluggish,” Edwards-Ford said. “We made adjustments at halftime and our defense just shut them down after that.”
After allowing 179 total yards of offense in the first half, the Diablos stifled the Bruins and only gave up 42 second half yards.
Linebacker Nick Dzubnar recorded two sacks and tallied a total of four tackles for losses.
Edwards and the offense scored on their first four possessions of the second half, as the senior RB rushed for 123 yards and three TDs.
Mission Viejo will play host to Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks next week in the second round.
