Tustin Gives Capistrano Valley a Big Boot, 25-20 : High schools: Sophomore kicker Zach Mathews kicks field goals of 42, 34, 43 and 47 yards in upset.

Four long-distance field goals and 283 yards rushing added up to a measure of respect Friday night for Tustin High School’s football team.

The Tillers outplayed Capistrano Valley for 3 1/2 quarters and then withstood a late furry of passes to earn a 25-20 victory in front of 4,500 fans on Tustin’s Northrup Field.

Tustin’s third consecutive victory will likely vault it into the top 10 of the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. poll next week and left quite an impression on Tustin Coach Marijon Ancich.

“The win was no fluke,” Ancich said. “We beat a South Coast League power and one of the top teams in the county. We almost backed out of it, but it was a big win. Hopefully, we worked our way into the top 20.”

Tustin should get higher marks after running backs Keith Thomas, Maurice Fletcher and Jason Powell combined for 283 yards on the ground. Thomas, an elusive speedster who repeatedly ran around end for big gains, led all rushers with 111 yards in 10 carries. Fletcher, the team’s power runner, added 82 yards in 16 carries and Powell had 88 yards in 14 carries.

Maybe the most impressive weapon in Tustin’s attack, however, was 15-year-old sophomore kicker Zach Mathews. Mathews kicked field goals of 42, 34, 43 and 47 yards and barely missed on a 53-yard attempt.

“He’s the best kicker I’ve ever coached,” Ancich said. “He’s a soccer player that we just got out for football and he played his first game last week. There’s no telling what this kid can do before he’s finished.”

Tustin gave an early indication that its offense was in high gear, totaling 127 yards in the first quarter and gaining a 10-0 lead. The Tillers padded their lead to 16-0 in the second quarter with a pair of Mathews field goals.

Capistrano Valley (1-2) finally got untracked in the third quarter behind the passing of quarterback Scott Patton and then made things interesting in the last quarter by recovering two onside kicks.

Patton passed for 201 yards and a touchdown, but Capistrano Valley’s comeback effort ended with 3:09 remaining when Tustin’s Thomas intercepted a pass at Capistrano Valley’s 41-yard line.

“I thought we had control of the game, and then some strange things occured,” Ancich said. “We practice recovering onside kicks all the time, but they were fortunate to get two of them. We feel fortunate to get out of here with the win.”

Patton had engineered a 20-14 come-from-behind victory over Edison last week, but two interceptions in the second half killed two Capistrano Valley drives.

Patton and running back Alan Perlas (68 yards rushing) were the only offensive threats for the Cougars.