Cougars Defeat Mustangs

Four consecutive victories, two over ranked teams, had Trabuco Hills thinking it might be a team of destiny this season.

But a poorly played second quarter by the Mustangs and a superb defensive effort by Capistrano Valley proved too much to overcome as the Cougars won the South Coast League game, 14-6, in front of 3,500 Friday at Trabuco Hills High.

The Cougars (5-2, 2-0) forced seven punts by the Mustangs (4-3, 1-1), who finished with five first downs and never crossed midfield. They held Mustang running back Chris Lewis, who had been averaging more than 150 yards, to 20 yards in seven carries. They harassed quarterback Tom Lindow into completing seven of 20 passes for 90 yards and one interception.

Trabuco Hills managed 119 yards offense for the game.

“We felt we needed to shut down Lewis and shut down the passing game,” Cougars Coach Dave Brown said. “They are a team that will take whatever the other team gives them. Our defense played excellent the whole game.”

Said Mustangs Coach Bill Crow, “They physically beat us up front.”

Trabuco Hills played a role in both Cougars’ touchdowns. A seven-yard punt to open the second quarter gave Capistrano Valley the ball at the Mustang 40. Three plays later, Austin Moherman found Todd Puffer for a 33-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion made it 8-0.

On the Mustangs’ next possession, Kevin Johansen intercepted a pass from Lindow at the Mustang 43. The Cougars wasted little time as Moherman threw 38 yards to Gary Newhouser and, two plays later, Malaefou MacKenzie caught an eight-yard scoring pass. The extra point failed.

Trabuco Hills played well on defense, holding MacKenzie to 75 yards in 19 carries and the Cougars to 122 net yards. Capistrano Valley also committed 11 penalties for 110 yards. Moherman completed nine of 15 passes for 161 yards.

The Mustangs’ only score came early in the fourth quarter on a blocked punt by Billy Ortiz, who picked it up and ran 36 yards for the touchdown.