Prep Review : Turnabout Is Fair Play for a Revived Trabuco Hills

Trabuco Hills High School’s football team has proved to be an unexpected challenger in the Pacific Coast League race this season.

In only their second full season of varsity football, the Mustangs are 7-1 overall and are in contention for a Southern Section playoff berth with a 2-1 league record.

Trabuco Hills, which is in second place, suffered its only loss in a 23-0 defeat to Woodbridge in the league opener. The Mustangs play their most important game thus far at Laguna Beach Friday. They finish the season by playing host to Laguna Hills.

Laguna Beach is 7-1, 3-0 and tied for first place with Woodbridge. Laguna Hills is 1-6-1 and 1-2.

It has been a remarkable turnabout for the Mustangs.

Trabuco Hills was 5-5 and 2-3, finishing fourth last season. The year before the Mustangs played two games in varsity competition then dropped down to junior varsity status the rest of the season, finishing 2-8.

This season, the Mustangs feature a wide-open, high-scoring offense. Trabuco Hills is averaging 22 points a game and allowing only 10.

Quarterback John Barnes has thrown for close to 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. Trabuco Hills’ leading receiver is Tim Manning, who has 18 catches for 280 yards.

Trabuco Hills and Barnes put together an impressive come-from-behind victory over Costa Mesa, 30-10. Barnes threw touchdown passes of 28, 26 and 4 yards and also ran one yard for a touchdown late in the game. Manning caught the 26-yard scoring pass.

Bobby Joyce, Santa Ana High School tight end/defensive back, made a impressive debut in the Saints’ 31-0 victory over El Modena Thursday.

Joyce, playing in his first game since becoming academically eligible, had two big receptions and intercepted a pass. The first catch, which went for 25 yards, set up a first-half touchdown. His second went for a 22-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

His interception of El Modena quarterback Marcus Esposito’s pass showed off his considerable athletic skills.

Esposito, trying to zip the ball deep over the middle, threw a pass that would have been over the heads of most defenders. Joyce, 6-feet 6-inches, snared it easily. A clipping penalty, nullified Joyce’s long runback.

Joyce was a vital cog in last season’s team that advanced to the Southern Conference championship game before losing to El Toro. If last week’s game is any indication, Joyce should help the Saints in their bid for a repeat appearance in the playoffs this season.

The Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball team, top-ranked in the Southern Section’s 5-A division, finished their season with an undefeated Sea View League season.

The Sailors, Orange County’s No. 1-ranked team, beat Tustin, 15-2, 15-0, 15-7, in Thursday’s regular-season finale.

Newport Harbor will likely be the 5-A’s top-seeded team when the playoff pairings are announced today. The playoffs begin Thursday.

Add playoffs: In addition to volleyball, Southern Section pairings for water polo and girls’ team tennis also will be announced today.

Last add playoffs: The Esperanza football team’s streak of 12 straight playoff appearances is in jeopardy. The Aztecs (4-3-1 overall, 1-1-1 in Empire League play) have advanced to postseason play every year since 1975.

Esperanza is locked in a three-way tie with Katella and Cypress for second in league play. But the Aztecs have hardly been overpowering. Esperanza was tied by Cypress, which was winless at the time, in the league opener, then barely beat Katella. Esperanza lost to Los Alamitos, 13-10, Thursday night.

Things don’t get easier in its final two games as Esperanza meets Loara and El Dorado.

Esperanza has been one of the Southern Section’s most consistent qualifiers. The Aztecs made the 2-A playoffs in 1975-76 and the Central Conference playoffs, 1977-80.

They made the Southern Conference playoffs from ‘81-86. Esperanza advanced to the semifinal round each year from ‘79-84.

Eight-man football champions: California Lutheran clinched the Academy League championship Saturday with a 22-13 victory over Liberty Christian.

Quarterback Matt Mahnke threw for one touchdown and ran for another for the C-Hawks. Cal Lutheran is 7-1 and 4-0.

Add champions: Kennedy won its first league championship as a member of the Garden Grove League Tuesday with a 12-6 water polo victory over Bolsa Grande.

Kennedy joined the Garden Grove League before the start of this year from the Empire League, which has been dominated by El Dorado in recent years.

Kristen Quigley of El Modena won her three tennis sets Wednesday against Santa Ana Valley. It was Quigley’s 100th straight Century League victory.

Quigley went undefeated in three seasons of varsity competition.

The Marina girls’ cross-country team, which finished in last place a year ago, won the Sunset League championship meet Saturday at Central Park.

The Vikings won with five sophomores and just two seniors in their top seven runners. It was the Vikings’ first Sunset League title and first undefeated season.

Sophomore Stacy Wright was the Vikings’ top finisher, running 17 minutes 52 seconds for third place on the 2.8-mile course.