PREP FOOTBALL : Pacific Coast League : Trabuco Hills Grows Up Quickly, 52-12

Trabuco Hills High School, playing its first season of varsity football, came of age Thursday night in a 52-12 victory over Costa Mesa at Mission Viejo High.

The Mustangs, scoring in every quarter and in just about every conceivable manner, turned the game into a one-sided affair in front of 250.

The victory was the first in the Pacific Coast League for Trabuco Hills (1-3, 4-5 overall) and, for Costa Mesa, the loss may have ended any aspirations of earning a berth in the Desert-Mountain Conference playoffs.

Costa Mesa, which fell to 2-2 in league play and 5-4 overall, trails league-leading Orange (3-0) and second-place Laguna Beach and Woodbridge (2-1) with one game remaining.

How lopsided was it? Trabuco Hills had 38 points midway through the second quarter despite the fact the Mustangs had run only nine offensive plays. Running back Ray Walters got Trabuco Hills off to a quick start, scoring on runs of 90 and 86 yards and catching a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Miller in about 14 minutes of play.

“This was the most bizarre game that I’ve been involved with in 29 years of coaching,” said Tom Baldwin, Costa Mesa coach. Costa Mesa played without leading scorer Tyler Riddell, who was suspended from school and did not suit up for the game.

“The odds of this game turning out the way it did were astronomical,” said Coach Jim Barnett. “I thought if we were going to win the game, it would be by a field goal. Everything went right for us tonight.”