PREP EXTRA / SATURDAY FOOTBALL PULLOUT : Wideout Spurs Narrow Victory : Football: Villa Park receiver Sean Adams catches seven passes for 98 yards during 15-14 victory over fourth-ranked Trabuco Hills.

Friday night’s game between Villa Park and Trabuco Hills, a stirring 15-14 upset victory by Villa Park at El Modena High, hinged on the performances of two exceptional receivers.

The Spartans rode the speed and long reach of wideout Sean Adams, who hauled in seven of Sean McMahon’s 12 pass completions for 98 yards to rein in the fourth-ranked Mustangs.

The biggest play was a 12-yard touchdown catch with 1 minute 57 seconds to play in the game. Franklin Haynes then hurtled over the Trabuco Hills goal line for the two-point conversion that gave Villa Park the winning margin.

“There was no question we would go for the two points,” Villa Park Coach Pat Mahoney said. “That’s the way we play.”

The Mustangs’ workhorse was Laquent Hobbs, who ran for 50 yards, caught five balls for 70 yards and scored both of the visitor’s touchdowns.

Mahoney knew the formula his team needed to win. Simply, stop giving the ball away. “We had been behind in turnovers the first two games,” Mahoney said. “We’ll need to be ahead at the end of the game to be in the game.”

The no-faults policy paid early dividends as Villa Park--which had no fumbles or interceptions for the game--had the first half’s only score.

Taking the ball on their own 35 with 5:57 remaining in the second quarter, Spartan quarterback McMahon found his passing touch. A 13-yarder went to Stan Stremick and Adams caught a 37-yard bomb, out-running three defenders to reach the Mustang eight-yard line.

After Tony D’Amato struggled for a yard, McMahon then sprinted to his right, buying enough time to find Kris Fisher alone in the end zone for the touchdown.

Trabuco Hills snapped out of its lethargy in the second half, however. The Mustangs halted Villa Park on its initial possession of the third quarter, then went 57 yards in seven plays for the tying touchdown, courtesy of J.C. Pintsak’s 11-yard toss to Fobbs.

And after surviving an interception and 50-yard return on the quarter’s final play by the Spartan’s Bo Barnes--who injured his knee while getting tackled--Trabuco Hills nearly swept its way to victory in the fourth.

Starting on it’s own three, the Mustangs ran around right end on four of their first six plays to reach the Villa Park 39. On the seventh play, Fobbs caught Pintsak’s pass on the five and took it in from there.

But Trabuco Hills could not stop Villa Park, and Adams, when it had to, allowing the Spartans to run off more than six minutes on their winning drive.