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Mira Costa completes undefeated season with Peninsula victory
by Quentin Haigh
The Mira Costa Mustangs marched into Peninsula High School last Friday afternoon with high hopes. They knew that if they could beat the Peninsula Panthers, they would become the first team in Mira Costa football history to go undefeated during the regular season.
The Mustangs, as they have done all season long, took the early lead when quarterback Peter Dobush scored a running touchdown with 2:59 left in the first quarter, giving the Mustangs a 7-0 lead.
They took that 7-0 lead into the second quarter, where they continued to beat up on the Panthers. With 7:57 to go, the defense forced a fumble, recovering the ball in Peninsula territory. The offense capitalized on the turnover by giving the ball to running back Michael Okwo for another rushing touchdown with 5:08 left in the second quarter. But the Mustangs were still not done with their first half scoring. A long pass to wide receiver Nick Haley set up a third rushing touchdown for Okwo, making the score at 21-0 with 1:27 remaining in the first half. Peninsula didn’t give up, however. On the ensuing kick-off return, the returner brought the ball all the way up to the Costa 15-yard line. The Panthers were able to convert a 4th down into a score late in the quarter, narrowing the deficit to 21-7 at halftime.
Peninsula went after Costa in the third quarter. A 37-yard pass early in the quarter put them at Costa’s 20-yard line. They scored a touchdown with 7:43 left on the clock, making the score 21-14. Costa managed to extend the diminishing deficit by scoring a 37-yard field goal with 2:49 remaining in the quarter. Kicker Kevin Lovell’s 11th and final field goal of the regular season made the score 24-14. Costa intercepted the ball soon after, holding the score at 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
Okwo scored again on an 8-yard TD run with 10:20 to go, increasing the lead, 31-14. Peninsula would not let up, however, as their running back made a spectacular 27-yard run to the Costa 15-yard line with plenty of time still left in the quarter. The drive took too long, though, as they finally scored on a four-yard run with only 3:50 left in the game. The game rested at this final score of 31-21, and Costa celebrated their undefeated season.
After the game Okwo commented, "We had a great season, everyone played really well. We all feel like we accomplished something great and I’m glad I was a part of it."
Bay League champion Mira Costa (10-0), seeded third in the Division III playoffs, will face Saugus (6-4) at home Friday night at 7:30. ER