Marinovich Throws for Record, but Mission Viejo Gets Victory

Todd Marinovich, Capistrano Valley High School quarterback, was doing his best to hold back the tears.

Marinovich was trying to muster a smile as he posed with former Los Angeles Wilson quarterback Ron Cuccia for a group of photographers.

Marinovich became the national career high school passing leader Friday night, surpassing Cuccia’s total of 8,804 yards with a 221-yard performance, but the accomplishment was marred by the numbers on the scoreboard: Mission Viejo 28, Capistrano Valley 21.

Marinovich became the all-time prep passer when he completed a 14-yard pass to tight end Randy Stark with 5:53 left. Marinovich has 8,835 yards in a four-year career.

But Mission Viejo, picked to finish third in the South Coast League in most preseason polls, spoiled Marinovich’s record-breaking performance by intercepting four passes and sacking him four times in front of an overflow crowd of 7,500 fans at Capistrano Valley.

Mission Viejo (9-1, 5-0) won the league title by putting pressure on Marinovich in the second half to hold the Cougars (8-2, 3-2) scoreless. Marinovich passed for 176 yards in the first half, but the Diablos limited him to 45 yards in the second half. He completed 9 of 20 passes for the game. El Toro (4-1) finished second in league, and Capistrano Valley is third.

The loss marked the end of an emotionally charged week for Capistrano Valley. The Cougars lost their coach of eight years, Dick Enright, who resigned Friday. He had been suspended in the wake of allegations of spying on El Toro High’s practice before a game against the Chargers two weeks ago. As a result, Capistrano Valley also had to forfeit its 22-21 victory over El Toro.

Eric Patton, named interim coach by Capistrano Valley Principal Tom Anthony Thursday, broke down in tears during a team prayer after the loss. Somehow, it wasn’t supposed to be this way.

The scene was in stark contrast to that on Mission Viejo’s side of the field, where fans raced onto the grounds to embrace their team.

“It was one of the biggest wins in the history of the school, especially when we were picked to finish third,” said Bill Crow, Mission Viejo coach. “All 11 guys on defense did a great job.”

Mission Viejo ended two scoring threats in the final 3:29 to gain its first victory over Capistrano Valley in five years. The series is tied, 4-4, with three games ending in a tie.

Free safety Eric Pryce stopped one Cougar drive when he intercepted a Marinovich pass in Mission Viejo’s end zone with 3:29 remaining. Linebacker Penn Bushong broke up Marinovich’s last passing attempt at his own 25-yard line with 45 seconds left to play.

The Diablos overcame a 21-17 deficit in the second half to gain the win. Eric Ekdahl moved Mission Viejo to within one point, 21-20, when he kicked a 47-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.

The winning touchdown came after Mission Viejo defensive end Mike Spinello sacked Marinovich on successive plays. Ekdahl scored on a four-yard run with 7:16 remaining for a 26-21 lead and then quarterback Troy Kopp teamed with fullback Jay Williams on a two-point conversion pass play.

Williams was the Diablos’ offensive star. The senior gained 153 yards in 19 carries and stunned the Cougars with a 57-yard touchdown run on his second carry.

The Capistrano Valley coaching staff wondered how the Cougars would perform after the off-the-field distractions the past week, and they were lifeless in the first quarter. But Marinovich seemed to spark the team with two long completions early in the game.

“Considering we didn’t practice much this week, I thought we played awfully well,” said Ray Panici, Capistrano Valley’s offensive coordinator. “We were wondering how the players would respond, and they played their hearts out.”