MISSION VIEJO — Tommy Acosta couldn’t believe what was happening. The Capistrano Valley quarterback kept getting the ball back just yards away from the end zone, it seemed.
And the senior – and the rest of the Cougars – took advantage of their good fortune.
They scored early, they scored often, and they scored a 35-14 victory over Aliso Niguel in a nonleague game on Friday.
The first half could hardly have gone better for the Capo Valley. Its first four possessions all began on the Aliso side of the field — at the 20, 21, 30 and 40.
“If the defense gives us something, we’ve got to give something back,” said Acosta. “Our defense played amazing.”
And the offense rewarded the defense by converting its opportunities.
After pressure forced a punt that netted 0 yards, a keeper by Acosta from 1 yard made it 7-0.
After Ryan Kron intercepted a pass, Landen Woodson’s 5-yard run made it 14-0
After Jack Schwenn’s 46-yard interception return, Acosta’s pass to Colin Hooper at the front of the end zone for 12 yards made it 21-0.
And after a three-and-out and punt gave Capo the ball at the Aliso Niguel 40, Zadyn Hall rushed for a yard to make it 28-0 with 4 minutes 19 seconds left in the first half.
“We were bleeding to convert those opportunities into points,” said the Cougars’ Reily Walker, who rushed eight times for 42 yards and caught four passes for 23 yards.
In less colorful terms, Capistrano Valley coach Sean Curtis agreed.
“We executed the game plan, we were inside the 30, it set the tone,” he said. “We excelled at execution. Last week, we lost (29-24 to Huntington Beach) because of self-inflicted wounds. Penalties. Turnovers. Poor field position. This week was just the opposite.”
It was a banner night for Capo, which added a 58-yard kickoff return by Cire Jefferson after Aliso cut the deficit to 28-14 in the fourth quarter.
“We were probably more talented, but Aliso showed a lot of heart,” Walker said of the many players he’s been facing for eight years, from Pop Warner through high school. “They played hard.”
For most of the night, Capo had answers for everything. But Walker was right. Aliso Niguel didn’t go down without a fight. And if you think the Wolverines couldn’t find that silver lining, you’d be wrong.
“We were down 28 points and we got it to 28-14 with three timeouts remaining, so we at least made it a game,” said Pete Mitchell, the offensive coordinator for the Wolverines. “The kids did a great job of fighting on the back end. Those two touchdowns reflected the fight until the bitter end.”
The two touchdowns were by Carter Vestermark, who scrambled 11 yards on fourth down with 10:53 remaining, and 11 yards on another fourth down with 3:21 to go.
If they are playing for a league title and need to convert on fourth down, the Wolverines know they can do it.
It would even be fair to say the Wolverines won the second half, although that’s not what they were there for.
Vestermark was 9 of 24 for 136 yards among six receivers, with two interceptions. Jarett Sabol carried 18 times for 74 yards.
Aliso outgained Capo 253-214. But the turnovers and special teams play made the difference.
Acosta completed 13 of 23 for 93 yards and a touchdown, and ran 11 times for 51 yards and a score.
“It was a full team effort,” Curtis said. “It showed that everything matters.”
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