Irvine Eventually Shakes Off Costa Mesa

Second-seeded Irvine’s expected first-round shelling of Costa Mesa in the Southern Section Division VI playoffs didn’t develop as expected.

In fact, at halftime, it was Irvine that was sweating bullets.

But a second-half rally in front of about 2,500 provided Irvine with the victory it needed to advance to the next round, 53-35, over a Costa Mesa team that had little to lose but its pride.

“We don’t want to be embarrassed,” Costa Mesa Coach Jerry Howell said before kickoff.

And they weren’t.

Costa Mesa (6-5), the third-place team from the Pacific Coast League, made the playoffs only because Laguna Hills forfeited five victories. The Mustangs trailed at halftime by only five points, 26-21.

“We’re not embarrassed at all,” said Jimmy Herzog, who rushed 24 times for 117 yards and a 47-yard touchdown. “We don’t even belong in this division [playing Division VII last year]. They have more seniors than we have players.

“They could’ve done whatever they wanted on offense.”

Yet, the Mustangs hung tough, until Irvine (9-1-1) scored on its first two possessions of the second half and eventually built a 46-21 lead. Adrian Guillen (15 carries, 119 yards) scored on a 10-yard run, and Sean Van de Merghel passed 24 yards to Brad Beuchat to make it 39-21. Before the quarter ended, Van de Merghel threw his fourth and final touchdown pass, 12 yards, to James Whitted.

Van de Merghel completed 15 of 20 passes for 226 yards and one interception. Ricky Martin’s interception was his county-high 13th.

Irvine was remarkably balanced, gaining 226 yards passing and 226 rushing. Costa Mesa totaled 230, all but 51 on the ground.

“At times on the sidelines I thought, ‘Holy Cow, we’re explosive’ and “Boy, are we ugly,’ ” said Irvine Coach Terry Henigan, trying to win his team’s first section title since 1993 when it won three in a row. “We were lucky. We got away with one.”

The Mustangs capitalized on turnovers, then scored just before halftime to pull to 26-21.

Costa Mesa got Shaun Ferryman’s 68-yard fumble return on a pass ruled a lateral to tie the score at 7-7.

Then, after Irvine’s Dave Doomey fumbled at the one, David Weir scored on a quarterback sneak to make it 19-14.

But Costa Mesa couldn’t stop the Vaqueros when they held on to the ball. Van de Merghel’s second scoring pass to Evan Little, a 15-yarder, gave Irvine a 26-14 advantage.

But Costa Mesa, playing with more confidence, put together a 78-yard drive that ended with Martin’s over-the-shoulder catch while falling into the end zone in the final minute, setting the stage for Irvine’s 20-point third quarter.