By Sandor Kopitz
Staff Writer
After coming off a tough season-opening to Loyola, the Mustangs fell again to the Serra Cavaliers on Sept. 16 at El Camino.
The first half started slowly. and it wasn’t until late in the first quarter when Serra’s running back Shaquille Richard scored a touchdown to put Serra on top, 7-0. As the second quarter began, the Mustangs started to improve their defense. It opened with senior linebacker Noah Rossi sacking the quarterback for a loss of 12 yards.
“I think that our team as a whole has grown since Loyola, but we need the unity that last year’s varsity team had,” Rossi said.
After the Mustang’s 35-13 loss, Costa will aim for a win tonight at 7 p.m. at Narbonne.
“To prepare for Narbonne we’re going to be working toward improving our O-line. Once we work out a few kinks, our offense will come together, and I believe we will have a championship team on our hands,” senior lineman Jimmy Lee said.
Costa’s defense was scarce against Serra in the second half. However, impressive plays included senior J.R. Tavai’s 8-yard tackle in the second quarter and senior Andra Windom’s sack.
Costa had a few lucky breaks midway through the second quarter. Serra appeared to have scored a long 55-yard touchdown, but the play was subsequently called back due to a holding call. Serra then attempted a field goal at about 34 yards out, but a bad snap resulted in the holder trying to run for the first down. The half ended with a score of 7-0 in favor of the Cavaliers.
“I’m anticipating that a lot of things will improve. We had a really hard time running the ball. Our quarterback [Dennis Falcone] got knocked around a lot. It was his first varsity game, and that experience alone will be invaluable. He really hung in there in the pocket and showed a lot of poise,” coach Don Morrow said.
Costa started off the second half forcing Serra to punt, getting the ball in great field position at Serra’s 40-yard line after a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Serra. Soon after, Falcone threw a long interception down the left sideline, and Serra regained possession.
A few plays later Serra’s quarterback, Conner Preston, threw a 91-yard pass to the Costa one-yard line. Preston ran the ball to the endzone for the touchdown the very next play, making the score 14-0. Later in the third quarter, Serra scored another long 64-yard touchdown.
“We went into the game knowing we were going to be tested physically and mentally by a great team,” Lee said. “We rose to the occasion and gave it our all. There was improvement on our offense and our defense dominated. Although we lost I think we learned a lot and know what we need to work on. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
Costa’s offense appeared late in the third quarter. Junior Christian Rogers started a 19-yard drive. The drive was capped off with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Falcone to Tavai, who was wide open on the left side of the field. The extra point was blocked, resulting in a score of 21-6.
These opportunities were not frequent for Costa. They had the momentum, but the deciding factor in the game was big play ability by Serra.
“In the future we will have to figure out a way to match up better against a speedy team. All the preseason games are just getting us prepared for the league games. For us to get the experience of playing against Serra is invaluable,” Morrow said.
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