Despite lightning postponing Friday night’s homecoming game until Saturday morning, the Mustangs still managed to charge to victory against the Olympians.
On Friday, October 12th, lightning and rain was visible from Waller Stadium for hours before the Degame. After multiple delays, the announcing booth and referees called off the game officially at 8:15 p.m. It was decided that the game would take place on Saturday, October 13th, at Mira Costa at 11 a.m. instead. Fortunately, the Costa football senior night festivities occured prior to the lightning. However, the Mira Costa Mustangs soon proved that no matter the day nor the time of the game, the weather was their only obstacle.
“I was bummed that our senior night was delayed because all of my family came out to support,” senior offensive lineman Jordan Corral said. “This was the first time most of them were supposed to see me play.”
On Saturday, senior quarterback Nick Carpino started off the game strong with a long pass to senior wide receiver Matt Harry for a touchdown. Carpino then kept the momentum going with a short bullet pass to sophomore wide receiver Brody Mckinnon. Mckinnon then sprinted into the endzone for a touchdown. Another Carpino pass to Harry, who was under a tight, three-man coverage, gave Costa a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“Being up 35-0 at the half felt really good and we felt pretty confident, but we were trying to stay humble in case of a comeback, “ said junior linebacker Vincent Real.
The Mustangs domination continued into the second quarter as Carpino connected with Harry once again for a touchdown, giving Costa a 28-0 lead. Costa scored again when a strong offensive drive gave senior Koda Thormodsgaard the opportunity to execute a one yard rush for a touchdown, leaving Costa up 35-0 heading into the locker room.
Despite a 35-0 lead going into the third quarter, the Mustangs refused to stop fighting and kept the pressure on the Olympians. The third quarter saw notable performances on Costa defense as Costa managed to stop Leuzinger’s run game. Sophomore safety Richard Kick also ran in for a pick six, giving the Mustangs a 42-0 lead in the fourth. Senior linebacker Slade Gordon was also a stand out, making many key tackles for the Mustangs.
“When he made the pick I knew the game was over so that was just icing on the cake,” Corral said.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Mustangs’ decisive lead gave the second string players their shot. Costa’s second string players still managed to fend off the Leuzinger offense, making the game a complete shut out.
“I think by the fourth quarter everyone was content with our performance, but we still wanted to [keep fighting to] make sure we won the game, “ Real said.
Mira Costa, now 4-4 overall and 2-1 in Bay League, will face Centennial in a 6 p.m. away game next week. The Mustangs hope to continue their two-game winning streak next Friday. Costa’s offensive line also hopes to make some adjustments so that Carpino can have more time to execute his passes, Corral said.
“ [For next week] We’ll work on our blocking techniques and having better pulls, “ Corral said.
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