South Coast League : Mission Viejo Coasts Despite Penalties

Mission Viejo High School ran and held, passed and clipped its way to a 40-0 South Coast League victory over Irvine Friday night at Irvine.

The Diablos (1-0, 3-3) were penalized 11 times for 85 yards. The mind shudders to think of the possibilities had Mission Viejo avoided those mistakes.

“It’s been a problem for us all year, it’s not just tonight,” Mission Viejo Coach Bill Crowe said. “Holding and those other things. They drive you crazy.”

As it was, Mission Viejo took its yellow flags in stride. Make that in sprint.

The Diablos scored on their second possession when quarterback Tony Arnone scored from the seven. Gary Clevenger kicked a 33-yard field goal with 2:18 left in the first quarter to put Mission Viejo ahead, 10-0.

Clevenger added a 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter, and Arnone’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Danny Reed made the score 20-0 at halftime.

Still, Crowe was not happy.

“I’d say three-quarters of our halftime talk centered on penalties,” Crowe said. “I wish I could put my finger on this problem so I could get rid of it.”

Luckily for the Diablos, the problem is less costly against a team such as Irvine (0-1, 0-5). Irvine, predominately made up of underclassmen, totaled just 96 yards in total offense.

Mission Viejo kept rolling in the second half. Running back Darrin Sweazy, who rushed for 96 yards in 17 carries, scored on a three-yard run on Mission Viejo’s first possession of the half. Brett Varner scored on a 14-yard run later in the third to make it 34-0.

Reserve running back George Wright closed the night’s scoring on a 14-yard run.

In other South Coast League games:

Capistrano Valley 35, Dana Hills 16--The Cougars used big plays to overcome Dana Hills in the league opener for both teams.

Tom Adams intercepted a pass and went 84 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to break open a close game. The Cougars also got a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown from Marcel Durand in the fourth quarter.

Adams also had a 67-yard touchdown run for the Cougars in the second quarter.

Capistrano Valley is 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the league. Dana Hills lost its fourth straight game to fall 2-4 and 0-1.