Mission Viejo Grinds Out Another Win ... and Another League Championship

They weren’t flashy, but they were able to ground it out throughout the game. They didn’t pile up the points (36-point average in five previous wins), but they got the first downs when they needed them. And they didn’t play a perfect game by any stretch, but neither did their opponent.

Mission Viejo knows how to win football games, and they certainly know how to win league championships. For the 10th consecutive season in the Bob Johnson Era, and for the 18th time in school history, the Diablos claimed at least a share of the South Coast League title with one game remaining after a 14-7 Homecoming victory over a stubborn Tesoro team, on a crisp, misty Friday evening at Mission Viejo High.

The Diablos (7-2 overall, 3-0 in league), ranked No. 3 in the CIF Southern Section Pac 5 Division coaches' poll, have now defeated previously undefeated San Clemente and the team that was tied with them for first place, Tesoro, in consecutive weeks. They can wrap up the league championship outright next Thursday at Trabuco Hills.

Tesoro (6-3, 2-1), which already qualified for the playoffs after last week’s victory over Dana Hills, will also complete its regular season Thursday at San Clemente (8-1, 2-1).

“We’re 3-0 in league, we have one game left and we’re in the playoffs,” Johnson said after Friday's victory. “We have to win another one so we don’t tie for (the league title). We’ve got Trabuco Hills next week to win it outright. So we should be seeded pretty good.”

Mission Viejo led only 7-0 at halftime courtesy a 14-play, 72-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard run by Buzzy Yokoyama. The Diablos were held under 100 yards total offense in the first half, and quarterback Alex Bridgford was intercepted once by Tesoro’s Michael McQueen at the Titans' 10-yard line to stall another drive.

It looked even worse for Mission Viejo on the first play of the second half. Titans senior Matt Adlard intercepted a Bridgford pass at the Diablos' 45 and returned it to the 30. Six plays later, Tesoro used a little trickery as quarterback Matt Adam threw a lateral pass to receiver Brett Perry, who spotted Connor Massey all alone in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown to tie the score, 7-7, and seemingly give the Titans all the momentum.

“It’s high school football,” Johnson said. “You never know what it’s going to be like.”

The Diablos got their own break on their next possession. After being stopped at the Titans' 49, they were forced to punt, but the catch was fumbled by Tesoro and Mission Viejo’s Anthony Pierce recovered at the Titans' three. On the next play, Yokoyama scored easily to put the Diablos back on top, 14-7, after Zach Christensen’s PAT kick.

In the fourth quarter, Christensen missed a 34-yard field goal, and it appeared the Titans had regained the momentum as they drove to the Diablos’ six in eight plays, the key one being a 29-yard pass from Adam to Blake Rodgers. But Nate Tago, Tesoro’s sensational running back who gained a grueling 80 yards on 20 carries, dropped a pitch-out by Adam and the Diablos’ Jackson Stoddard recovered the ball at the 15 with 5:59 remaining.

Mission Viejo never surrendered the ball again as Bridgford (13 of 23, 173 yards) completed passes of 12, 28, 17 (twice) and 11 yards for first downs.

The workhorse for the Diablos, though, was Yokoyama. In only his second game back from an injury, the 210-pound senior pounded the ball all game to finish with 152 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. His longest run was 26 yards.

“I just want to do whatever I can for the team,” Yokoyama said. “With this program, especially, you never know when you going to get [the ball]. The line played a big part of it. They worked their tails off. I couldn’t have done it without them. Everyone was blocking downfield and they were working so hard. I just played my game.”


GAME STATISTICS
  

                            1     2     3     4   --   T

otal

Tesoro                   0     0     7    0    --    7

Mission Viejo         0     7     7    0     --  14

                                 Tes         MV

First Downs                11         20

Rushing Yards             82       163

Passing Yards              86       173

Total Net Yards          168       339

Turnovers                     2          2

Penalties-Yards         9-80       9-84

SCORING

2nd Quarter

MV – Yokoyama 2 run (Crawford kick), 2:19

3rd Quarter

Tes – Massey 22 pass from Perry (Schottenfeld kick), 8:29

MV – Yokoyama 3 run (Crawford kick), 3:57