Esperanza struggles offensively in loss

PLACENTIA - Esperanza continued to struggle on offense Friday night, and this time it cost the the Aztecs.

The No. 7-ranked Aztecs had won its their first two games of the season despite scoring just 21 points. But another woeful scoring effort led to a 14-9 loss at the hands of to Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach at Bradford Stadium.

"I can't put my finger on why we're struggling (offensively)," said Aztecs coach Bill Pendleton said. "We certainly have the talent. We're just not making the plays that we need to make."

Esperanza (2-1) had its opportunities to pull out a come-from-behind victory, but two drives inside Mira Costa's red zone in the fourth quarter produced zero points.The first drive ended with back-to-back incompletions in the end zone. The last ended on an interception by Kyle Demarco at the 2-yard line. Esperanza had one last possession with 20 seconds left, but tiem time ran out following after a 2-yard run and a fumbled snap.

"Every week it's something different," said Pendleton said. "A breakdown here…a breakdown there. When a team gives you a short field, you have to take advantage."

The Mustangs (2-1) scored on its their first possession as Chris Loatman capped off a 72-yard drive with an 8-yard run. In the second quarter, Loatman — who finished with 104 yards on 29 carries — finished off a 10-play, 52-yard drive with a 4-yard score. Esperanza cut Mira Costa's lead to 14-3 at halftime following after a 20-yard field goal by Aria Nabipur. The Aztecs scored its their lone touchdown of the game on its first possession of the second half on a 76-yard reception by Hayden Pierce from quarterback Drew Huusfeldt.

Contact the writer: magarcia@ocregister.com