Mira Costa Wins Battle of Beaches

Although they are no longer in the same league, Manhattan Mira Costa and Redondo Union are still rivals.

They proved it Friday night at Redondo.

Brett Gutierrez’s incomplete pass on fourth and eight with 1:29 remaining ended a second-half comeback by Redondo (1-2), as it fell to Mira Costa, 20-14.

“This is a good rivalry,” said Mira Costa Coach Don Morrow, whose Mustangs are the defending Division IX champions. This year, however, they are in Division II while Redondo (1-2) is in Division X.

But Morrow said that because the schools are less than five miles apart, they have a strong rivalry.

“It was just like a league game. We’re close to each other, [the Mira Costa coaching staff] is close to the Redondo staff and we like to compete.”

However, Redondo didn’t look ready to compete for the first 24 minutes.

Trailing 20-0 at halftime, the Sea Hawks used a 16-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and a one-yard score in the fourth to get within a touchdown.

However, after a missed field goal by the Mustangs with 3:53 left, Redondo couldn’t score and the Mustangs ran out the clock.

The Mustangs ran for 220 yards, led by running back Chris Salazar’s 142 yards in 20 carries. Quarterback Dane McConnaughy added 60 yards in seven carries, as well as 106 yards passing. He also added 1 1/2 sacks on defense.

“I was pleased with the way I played,” he said. “But we had good running, good blocking, good receiving and good defense. Everyone played great.”

The Mustangs were coming off a loss at Division I powerhouse Loyola. Morrow admitted the defeat helped the Mustangs against Redondo.

“That toughened us up,” he said. “It showed we have to play hard for four quarters. That’s something we need to work on.”