By Sofia Vaughn
Despite a bold effort, the Mira Costa Mustangs were unable to steal the win from the Paramount Pirates, losing 48-21 in their season opener.
Football fell to Paramount High School on August 23rd at 7 p.m. The Mustangs fought hard against a strong Paramount side in what was originally scheduled to be only a preseason matchup, defensive back and receiver coach Arnold Dotson said.
“They did not execute well, but they tried their hardest, “ defensive coordinator Ray Lee said.
The Mustangs struggled in the opening half, facing a powerhouse Paramount offense led by senior quarterback Kingston Hala. Despite lacking size, the Mustangs refused to back down when senior cornerback Jackson Fisher managed to intercept a Paramount ball, making a 78 yard pick for the touchdown, closing out the half with a score 27-7.
“Honestly, the first half did not go as planned, “ offensive lineman Diego Osterling Tabatabaian said. “But, I still felt that we could come back harder in the second half and hit Paramount hard.”
The Mustangs started the second half off strong, with a touchdown off the opening kick return by sophomore wide receiver Kayle Marsh, making the score 27-14. Costa continued to struggle against an aggressive Paramount side, but refused to give up, with key tackles by senior defensive lineman Hank Dunlap. Costa managed to add a final touchdown when Marsh caught a thirty yard pass and sprinted into the endzone. Unfortunately, it was not enough, and the Mustangs fell to the Pirates, 48-21.
“It was really cool to get to score twice, “ Marsh said. “I got to score my first and second touchdowns so it was great.”
The Mustangs, now 0-1, will go up against St. Francis High School on August 30th at 7:00. Costa, who will be facing a strong St. Francis side at St. Francis, hopes to recover from the loss against Paramount and fix their mistakes for the challenging matchup, Lee said.
“Next week we hope to improve our pass protection and overall blocking, “ Osterling Tabatabaian said.
Leave a Reply