Reluctant Hocking Leads Trabuco Hills to Victory

Keith Hocking was done with football after last season. Nothing was going to force him back into a Trabuco Hills uniform.

He’d had quite enough.

Yet there he was Thursday night. Instead of walking, he was talking.

Hocking led the Mustangs to a 17-12 victory over Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills. He began the game with a 99-yard kickoff return and finished it with a leaping interception at the 10-yard line to preserve the victory.

Not bad for a “quitter.”

“I was really frustrated last season,” said Hocking, a senior defensive back. “It wasn’t fun.”

Never mind that the Mustangs were blessed with Geoff Beckham and Matt Rechner, two top-flight defensive backs. Hocking wasn’t playing and it was too painful to sit.

“I wasn’t coming back,” Hocking said. “But something changed my mind. I guess it was my drive.”

Whatever the reason, the Mustangs (1-0) were glad to have him Thursday.

Hocking fielded the opening kickoff on a bounce. He cut through a hole on the right and out-ran Santa Margarita’s Steve Gribben to the end zone.

But it was his finale that proved to be more important.

The Santa Margarita offense, which had died under emergency quarterback Brian Garrigan, wheezed to the Mustang 24 with 22 seconds left. But Garrigan’s pass to Brian Griffin was snagged by Hocking, who stepped out of bounds.

Then, he got greedy.

“I was gone on that play too,” Hocking said. “I didn’t step out of bounds. I guess the refs felt sorry for them.”

It was easy to pity the Eagle offense. Quarterback Chris Collins injured a knee two weeks ago, leaving sophomore Mike Thompson in charge. He didn’t last long Thursday.

The offense was turned over to Garrigan, a running back, who finished five of 13 for 48 yards. He did throw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Matt Nickels, but it was a drive that was aided by two 15-yard penalties.

Things were going so bad for the Eagles (0-1) that Ryan Korinke missed the extra point. He was 43 of 43 last season.

Nickels had a 71-yard interception return for the Eagles’ other score. But most of the night Garrigan was buried under defensive lineman Zane Champion and linebacker Jeremy Taylor.

Hocking did the rest.