Pintsak Passes Trabuco Hills to Victory

Quarterback J.C. Pintsak threw for two touchdowns and 196 yards to lead Trabuco Hills to a 33-8 victory over Bellflower in the second round of the Southern Section Division VIII playoffs Friday at Trabuco Hills High.

The Mustangs (9-3) advance to next Saturday’s semifinal round, where they’ll meet Pacific Coast League rival Laguna Hills. Trabuco Hills won the teams’ regular-season meeting, 33-6.

Pintsak exploited Bellflower’s man-to-man secondary early in the opening drive, connecting with Matt Rechner for 19 yards and Bobby Johnson for 34 yards to set up a first and goal on the Buccaneer 10-yard line. Bellflower’s defense held, and Trabuco Hills’ Gerry Beckham kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Mustangs on top, 3-0.

On the first play of their next possession, Pintsak split the seams of Bellflowers’s sagging defense with a perfect strike to Rechner, who dashed untouched 64 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

The Mustangs’ strong defense set up their third score when they smothered a bad punt snap on the Buccaneer 28. Two plays later, Pintsak hit Brad Cervantes with a 28-yard touchdown pass to put Trabuco Hills ahead, 24-0.

Bellflower didn’t help its cause early in the third quarter, when it squibbed a punt five yards to its own 40. A five-yard run by Jake Galasso, the game’s leading rusher with 80 yards, followed by a 35-yard touchdown run by Loquentin Fobbs gave the Mustangs a comfortable lead with 6:11 remaining in the quarter.

Trabuco Hills rolled up 397 yards on offense against Bellflower (9-3) and passed for 237 yards. The Mustangs’ defense held the Buccaneers to only 140 yards, just 52 in the first half.