Sophia Vaughan
Staff Writer
The Mustangs managed to cage the Seahawks on Friday in a 21-0 win in their final game of the regular season, winning not only the Battle of the Beach, but also clinching a playoff spot.
The Mira Costa Mustangs crushed the Redondo Union Seahawks, 21-0, at Redondo on October 28th. This win marks a four game winning streak in the Bay League for the Mustangs, and is their third straight shutout. Beating rival Redondo also guaranteed Costa a spot in the CIF playoffs.
“There’s no better feeling than beating your biggest rival and doing it on the road, “ senior quarterback Nick Carpino said. “Our defense played lights out.”
The Mustang offense started out strong with a thirty-three yard pass by Carpino to sophomore wide receiver Brody McKinnon. The play set up a short bullet pass by Carpino to sophomore tight end Danny Millea for the touchdown, putting Costa up 7-0. A three-yard rushing touchdown by senior quarterback Reed Vabrey gave Costa a 14-0 lead heading into the locker room. Key runs by Carpino also contributed to the offense’s success.
“I just try to do what helps the team best and I felt that on Friday night getting out of the pocket was good for us, “ Carpino said.
The second half saw a strong Redondo defense, but senior running back Koda Thormodsgaard was still able to fight and find the endzone, and giving the Mustangs a 21-0 lead. A strong performance by Costa’s defense also contributed to the win, as the Mustangs’ defense managed to intercept five of Redondo Union’s “prodigal” freshman quarterback Kaden Martin’s passes. Three of those interceptions were made by defensive top performer junior defensive back Jackson Fischer.
“[Those interceptions] just felt so good, “ junior cornerback Luke Weaver said.
The Mustangs, ended their regular season 6-4 overall, and 4-1 in Bay League, and will now advance to the first round of the CIF playoffs next week. The Mustangs will face Woodrow Wilson High next Friday at Mira Costa at 7:30. The team needs to work on converting in the red zone going into the playoffs, Carpino said.
“We just can’t have negative plays. Whether its sacks or penalties we just can’t afford them in the red zone,” Carpino said.
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