Turnovers, Passing Spark Trabuco Hills

Trabuco Hills’ football team forced six Capistrano Valley turnovers Friday night.

Mustang quarterback Pat Barnes and wide receiver Cordell Graham did the rest.

Barnes threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yarder to Graham, in a 25-22 nonleague victory over Capistrano Valley at Trabuco Hills.

Graham caught five passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in the second half after being held in check in the first half. But a halftime pep talk by Barnes got Graham going in the second half.

“It wasn’t his ability,” Barnes said of Graham. “It was his lack of positive attitude.

“He was down and he wasn’t catching balls. I told him to smile and go out and enjoy himself. We started clicking in the second half.”

The Mustangs, 5-0 and sixth-ranked in Orange County, had excellent field position, recovering three Capistrano Valley fumbles and intercepting three passes.

Trabuco Hills took advantage of two Capistrano Valley turnovers to take a 12-7 halftime lead.

Defensive back Ryan Wolter intercepted Capistrano Valley quarterback Matt Coon and returned it to the Cougars’ 39. Four plays later, fullback Chad Peare scored on a two-yard run to give the Mustangs a 6-0 lead.

Capistrano Valley quarterback Sam Gaines, the Cougars’ regular starter who was out with a concussion last week, replaced Coon on the next series. Gaines completed his first five passes, including a 15-yarder to Greg Payne that helped set up Dan Geiss’ three-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes 40 seconds left in the second quarter.

An interception by Trabuco Hills defensive back Jake Galasso led to the Mustangs’ second score. Galasso intercepted a pass by Gaines at the Capistrano Valley 37-yard line and returned it to the five, setting up a five-yard touchdown run by Pat Barnes.

The Mustangs pushed the lead to 19-7 on their second play from scrimmage in the second half when Barnes found Graham open on the right sideline for the 66-yard touchdown.

Capistrano Valley (3-2) answered on the ensuing possession with a 19-yard touchdown run by running back Greg Payne that cut the Cougars’ deficit to 19-14 with 6:25 left in the third quarter.

But Barnes kept the pressure on, completing six of seven pass attempts on an 86-yard drive. He capped the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Mike Beyersdoerfer that gave the Mustangs a 25-14 lead with 7:53 left in the game.

Capistrano Valley’s final touchdown--a 24-yard pass from Gaines to Gabe Payne--came with 13 seconds left in the game. A two-point conversion pass from Gaines to Blake Spence made it 25-22, but a Cougar onside kickoff attempt failed to go the required 10 yards and Trabuco Hills ran out the clock.