Mission Viejo shakes off slow start to win

CARLSBAD - It took a quarter to get the rhythm of the run and pass right before Mission Viejo could defeat host La Costa Canyon, 38-14, on Friday night.

Mission Viejo Diablos senior quarterback Allan Bridgford completed 17 of 28 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns and had one interception. His top target was Kevin Chandler, who made the first and later what proved to be the winning grab as part of his eight-catch, 107-yard night.

Diablos running back Jake Marshall kept the offense moving with a steady charge through well-carved holes by a powerful line. Marshall had 18 carries for 110 yards on a night Bridgford said, "We needed the balance offense to get us into the rhythm after a slow start."

It was La Costa putting pressure on Bridgford early, tightening his pocket, batting down balls and intercepting a first-quarter pass on the Diablos' second possession.  The Mavericks (2-1) took the lead, 7-0, on 7-play, 62-yard drive highlighted by a Matt Williams' 21-yard run, a 19-yard catch from quarterback Sebastian Frausto and a 7-yard touchdown scramble.

"That was like, Wow!' It just hit us in the face," said Diablos coach Bob Johnson, whose 11th-ranked team improved to 3-0. "We needed to recover quickly, line up correctly and start to make things happen."

Late in the first quarter, the Diablos recovered a Weston Manor fumble at the 1-yard line then marched 99 yards on 11 plays to tie the score, 7-7, on a 7-yard Chandler reception. That started a string of six consecutive scores.

"That fumble near the goal line changed the entire momentum of the game," said Mavericks running back Williams, who had eight carries for 65 yards.four catches for 51 yards and an interception on a trick play. "Suddenly, for the next two quarters, we were chasing them."

The Diablos scored on their next two possessions, with Bridgford finding Alex Mascarenas for a 3-yard touchdown pass and then Chandler, in the corner of the end zone, for a 9-yard grab, for the 21-7 edge at halftime.  Two-way threat Mascarenas, who had two interceptions, picked off Frausto to end the Mavericks' first drive of the second half and spark another Diablos' touchdown drive. Mascarenas even got credit for the score, belly-flopping on the ball in the end zone after it popped loose from the ball carrier, for the 28-7 third-quarter lead.

"Turnovers gave us the opportunity we needed," said Mascarenas, who has committed to UCLA. "We kept them on their heels."

Contact the writer: msmith@ocregister.com