Andrew Fasano
Staff Writer
Tommy Waller
Staff Writer
The Palos Verdes Sea Kings were left in the dust after a failed attempt for the end zone on the last play of the game, allowing the Mustangs to snap the Sea Kings 30-game win streak with their second half surge.
The Mira Costa Mustangs defeated the Sea Kings 21-20 October 29th at Waller Stadium, with the offense scoring 14 unanswered points in the second half and a key touchdown from senior wide receiver Casey Bonner.
“I think the most crucial part of our offense was our offensives line’s ability to hold their ground,” Bonner said. “PV has been known for their defensive line and I don’t think any other team has handled them the way we did tonight, so PV didn’t know how to react to us in the second half.”
Palos Verdes scored the game’s first 13 points, as the Mustangs first couple offensive drives resulted in a missed field goal and a botched snap on a 4th down play. According to sophomore quarterback Reed Vabrey, Costa was able to rally back because of the team’s effort and energy.
“I think the best part about our offense was definitely our energy throughout the entire game, despite a slow first half,” Vabrey said. “The momentum towards the end of the second half really shifted in our favor.”
With the Mustangs up 21-20 late in the fourth, the pressure was put on the defense to keep the lead. The defense responded with 2 interceptions, and junior Cornerback Evanson Frank-Love said that this is what helped put the game away.
“The defense had an amazing 2nd half as we did not give up a single point,” Frank-Love said. “We fought as hard as we could to ensure we could give the ball back to our offense to finish the game off.”
The game marked Reed Vabrey’s sixth start since senior David Arredondo went down with an ACL injury. Throughout Vabrey’s time as a starter, Arredondo has been a mentor to him, helping Vabrey both on and off the field, making sure the team is as successful it can be.
“I think Reed has adapted well to being the starting quarterback and I think he knows his new role out there on the field,” Arredondo said. “I think he has encountered a lot of challenges and handled them well. Being “the guy” on is a challenge itself.”
The Mustangs, now 7-2 overall, and 4-0 in Bay League, will play rivals Redondo Union High School on November the 4th at Redondo. According to Frank-Love, the team will try to build on their win against Palos Verdes.
“It was very important to beat Palos Verdes because we proved how tough our team is,” Frank-Love said. “Now that we have done that we’re looking forward to a great matchup with our rivals Redondo.”
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