Capistrano Valley Breaks the Ranks With Edison, 34-0

The difference in the Orange County rankings was only five spots, but the gap between Capistrano Valley High and Edison was much wider on the field Friday night at Orange Coast College.

Malaefou MacKenzie rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns in seven carries as second-ranked Capistrano Valley rolled past No. 7 Edison, 34-0.

MacKenzie, one of the county’s top running backs, had the most impressive play of the game when he took a handoff up the middle and turned it into a 96-yard touchdown run. MacKenzie’s night was done soon after because of a sore right ankle.

He could have continued if the game was closer, but was held out the entire second half to prevent additional damage, according to Capistrano Valley Coach Dave Brown.

Capistrano Valley (2-0) dominated the game from start to finish.

“They just whupped us on both sides of the ball,” Edison Coach Dave White said. “We didn’t play very well. They’re deserving of their ranking and we’re not.”

Without MacKenzie, Capistrano Valley was still under the capable leadership of senior quarterback Austin Moherman, who agreed to attend Ohio State earlier this week.

Moherman completed 11 of 18 passes for 115 yards and also kept the offense running despite several substitution problems.

“Our weakness tonight was me,” said Brown, who went on to explain that he had trouble with substitutions for most of the game.

“The kids were super,” Brown said. “They were primed to play and they practiced hard all week. Moherman made good choices all night, but the offensive line gets all the credit. They were the key.”

The line, which allowed one sack, also provided solid blocking especially on two big plays. The first was MacKenzie’s 96-yard run. Edison was caught in a linebacker stunt and MacKenzie burst into the secondary before being hit. He then made one quick move and won the sprint to the end zone to give Capistrano Valley a 14-0 lead with four minutes 23 seconds left in the first quarter.

The other was an 80-yard run down the right sideline by Charlie Landrigan with 2:10 to play. Landrigan finished with 91 yards rushing, had 52 yards receiving in five catches, and also caught a pass for a two-point conversion.

Capistrano Valley’s defense also turned in a strong performance. The second unit preserved the shutout by stopping Edison a few inches short of the goal line as time ran out.

The Cougars also limited Edison’s Vince Catani to 29 yards in eight carries. Catani had rushed for 107 yards in Edison’s first game.