Noki Lam
Staff Writer
On September 23rd, 2022, Mira Costa narrowly edged out Villa Park 28-21 in a nailbiter. Villa Park had the upper hand at the half, but the Mustangs regained control and came up with a
hard-fought win to elevate their record to 4-1.
After going down 14-7 going into the third quarter, Costa’s receivers started to find open gaps and make big plays. Sophomore QB Nico De La Cruz threw to Senior WR Will Widmer to tie the game up, 14-14 with a 38 yard reception, setting the stage for the Mustangs’ comeback.
“We as a team were just frustrated with how we played in the first half,” said De La Cruz. “So we wanted to come out with some new energy in the second half and it helped us in the final few minutes to win the game.”
After a back and forth of field goals, the Mustangs found themselves down 21-20 late in the 4th quarter. The heroics of Senior WR Cole Crotty catching a 57-yard touchdown pass to go up by 7 sealed the game in Costa’s favor.
“Our offense had some really solid drives throughout the game but we never really were able to get the big play, so it was huge for us when we were able to convert that one. Coach Morrow called the perfect play for that situation and Nico threw a fantastic ball.” Crotty said about the game winning TD. “I was proud of our defense and the way we were able to close out the game after that play as well.”
Mira Costa plays Culver City, September 30th, 2022, for their first home game in three weeks. The Mustangs will continue to work on their craft to keep up the level of intensity they have had the last 4 games.
“To match this level of performance, we’re putting no brakes on at practice.” Senior CB Kailer Gale said about improving on their winning season. “There’s always something we can be better at.”
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