By Wyatt Robb
Staff Writer
Mira Costa struggled to get its offense going Oct. 9 in its 9-7 loss against Palos Verdes, ending the Mustangs’ five-game win streak. Along with losing the game, Costa also lost senior quarterback David Arredondo for an undetermined number of games due to an arm injury.
Arredondo’s injury was caused by a hit from the side in the fourth quarter by a Sea Kings player. Arredondo continued to play through his injury, but after the game, further examination revealed that he had fractured a joint in his shoulder and his growth plate. According to Arredondo, he is optimistic about the injury and hopes he will play in tonight’s game against Peninsula.
“I knew when the kid hit me, something was wrong,” Arredondo said. “My arm went completely limp and numb.”
In the game, Palos Verdes’ strong defense kept Costa’s offense from scoring until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. However, Costa’s attempted comeback was not enough to clinch a victory, as the Mustangs were halted by a final Sea King interception.
“Both our defense and their team’s defense played incredibly well,” coach Don Morrow said. “I think their defense was a bit more successful on the pass rush.”
Costa’s only touchdown came on a pass from Arredondo to senior receiver Tino Sione. This touchdown brought Costa two points from Palos Verdes with three minutes left in the game.
“We all gave it our best effort in the final quarter,” sophomore safety Spencer Gilbert said. “We all played hard; we just came up a little short.”
In its last drive of the game, Costa received the ball with just 1:32 left in regulation. Costa needed to get within field goal range to take a 10-9 lead, but a pass from Arredondo was intercepted, sealing Costa’s defeat.
“We weren’t that disappointed when he threw the interception,” junior wide receiver Chris Brown said. “David gave it his best effort, and we can’t ask him to do everything.”
Despite its loss, Costa’s defense, led by senior nose guard Justus Tavai, held Palos Verdes to one touchdown and forced the Sea Kings to punt 15 times.
“The defense played really well,” Arredondo said. “It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t deliver on offense.”
The Mustangs (5-1 overall, 1-1 in Bay League) will play their next game against Peninsula (2-4) tonight at 7 p.m. at Costa. A victory is essential in keeping Costa in contention for a Bay League title.
“There’s always corrections and improvements going into the next game,” Morrow said. “We got hurt protecting David, and we need to work on getting him better protection in the pocket.”
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