El Toro Stops the Diablos in Overtime

Danny Maestas scored on a four-yard run in overtime and then intercepted a pass on the final play of the game to give El Toro High School a 28-21 victory over Mission Viejo Friday night in front of 6,200 in Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium.

El Toro (12-1) advances to the Division III championship game next Saturday against defending champion Paramount, trying to win its fourth Southern Section championship in the 1980s.

Mission Viejo (10-3) lost in the semifinals for the third consecutive year and the second time in overtime. It was also the Diablos’ second loss of the year to El Toro.

The teams were tied, 21-21, at the end of regulation and the outcome was decided by the California Tiebreaker, in which each team is given four plays to try to score from the 10-yard line.

El Toro lost the coin toss and had first possession. A pass interference call on El Toro’s second play gave the Chargers a first down at Mission Viejo’s four-yard line and Maestas scored off left tackle on the next play.

Ken Romaniszyn’s extra-point kick pushed El Toro ahead, 28-21, and now it was Mission Viejo’s turn to try to score.

Mission Viejo quarterback Tim Snowden, who played brilliantly most of the night, had trouble finding open receivers in the ensuing series. Snowden threw three incomplete passes and then was intercepted on his final attempt by Maestas.

El Toro had lost an overtime game to Santa Ana in the opening round of the playoffs last year and was defeated by Aviation in overtime in 1979.

For Mission Viejo, the loss brought back bitter memories of a 7-6 overtime loss to Los Alamitos two years ago in the semifinals, where placekicker Eric Ekdahl missed an extra-point attempt when his kicking shoe filled with mud on a sloppy field.

Mission Viejo’s defense dominated play for 30 minutes before El Toro came alive midway through the third quarter. Steve Stenstrom, considered by many to be the top quarterback in the county, was held to only 17 yards passing in the first half as Mission Viejo built a 13-0 lead.

Stenstrom was continually pressured into poor passes and was sacked six times. But he managed to throw two touchdown passes--a 57-yarder to tight end Bo Haley and a looping 19-yarder to wide receiver Rob Johnson--that finally got El Toro going.

Snowden, overshadowed by Stenstrom and Capistrano Valley’s Tony Solliday all season, passed for 252 yards, including 189 yards in the first half. Mission Viejo appeared to be in control with 10:46 remaining to play when tailback Mark Gaw scored on a one-yard run on fourth down for a 21-14 lead, but Stenstrom rallied El Toro.

There were two big pass plays in El Toro’s rally to tie the score. First, Stenstrom teamed with Johnson on a 25-yard play and then he lofted a high spiral in the left corner of the end zone that Johnson managed to catch despite double coverage.

Mission Viejo was hurt by 145 yards in penalties, including a critical holding and pass interference call against defensive back Bill Denny. But Denny also had a pass interception in the fourth quarter that set up Gaw’s touchdown run.

Mission Viejo intercepted Stenstrom twice and kept him off balance all evening. Stenstrom completed 12 of 18 passes for 172 yards.