A Real Blockbuster

Ryan Powdrell left the field a little slower than usual during the last game of the regular season. Powdrell, a senior middle linebacker and fullback for Mission Viejo High, was removed from the game in the second half of a 39-0 rout of Lake Forest El Toro, a regular occurrence during the Diablos’ unbeaten season.

“I wanted to stay in this time,” Powdrell said. “I grew up with a lot of those guys on El Toro.”

What fun he had splintering the Chargers’ offense for Mission Viejo’s third consecutive shutout, and also rushing for four touchdowns and pleasing his coach, Bob Johnson, who won three Southern Sections titles while at El Toro from 1978-90.

But take away personal motivations and it was just another game for Powdrell, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound wrecking ball who ran the 40-yard dash in a receiver-like time of 4.65 seconds at a combine last summer. Johnson, who has coached a number of talented players during his career, said Powdrell is one of the best. “You don’t get guys like him very often,” he said.

With backfield mate Robbie Dubois averaging slightly more than 200 yards rushing, Powdrell’s most noticeable contributions have come on defense, where he leads the team with 24 solo tackles and 57 assists heading into its Southern Section Division II quarterfinal game Friday night against visiting Upland.

Opposing coaches have watched countless hours of videotape, trying to find a way to neutralize Powdrell, but none have had success.

“We couldn’t block Powdrell,” said Anaheim Esperanza Coach Gary Meek after his team lost, 35-13, in Week 5. Powdrell has wreaked havoc on opponents since his sophomore year, but this fall, he has been especially unstoppable.

“Before, he played with pure athletic ability,” said Marty Mikkelsen, Mission Viejo’s defensive coordinator. “This year, he has learned the game.”

The Diablos, top-seeded in Division II, have allowed only 10 first-half points this season--a long touchdown pass by Santa Ana Mater Dei and a field goal by San Clemente--and have accounted for 24 turnovers, including four returned for touchdowns. They have given up only three points in their last four games, including a 49-3 victory over Etiwanda in the first round of the playoffs.

If not for some last-minute points against the reserves, the Diablos would have twice as many shutouts. Esperanza scored its points in the game’s final 10 seconds, including a game-ending Hail Mary after recovering an on-side kick, and Laguna Hills kicked a field goal in the closing seconds to avoid a shutout. “Those weren’t shutouts, but to our starters they were,” Mikkelsen said.

The attention paid Powdrell by blockers has opened gaps for other defenders to make big plays. Junior linemen Chris Cole has used his quickness for a team-leading 14 sacks, and senior lineman Jacob Atafua has six sacks in his first full season of tackle football.

The Diablos also feature one of the top defensive backfields in the region, led by free safety Tommy Rodriguez, one of only two juniors on last year’s All-Division II first team, and cornerbacks Joe Fleskoski and Marcus Dailey, both with defensive touchdowns this season.

“I don’t think we have a weak spot on defense,” said Powdrell, who also has two sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. “We work a lot on pursuing and get graded on our performance after games. If we get less than 90% for two straight games, we don’t start the next one.”

Powdrell lived across the street from El Toro High from first through eighth grade, then moved to Mission Viejo.

As a freshman, he knew Johnson as a physical education teacher, not a former high school coach who had built El Toro into a powerhouse.

He learned quickly when Johnson took over the Diablos’ program the following year, but success wasn’t immediate--Mission Viejo finished 4-7, including 3-2 in the South Coast League.

No Diablo played more downs last year than Powdrell, until he had to watch the Division II playoffs from the sidelines after suffering a broken leg against San Clemente in the regular-season finale. Without him, fourth-seeded Mission Viejo lost to Chino in the second round.

Powdrell returned 10 pounds heavier this season and showed no ill effects from the leg injury. In the second week, he led the defense in a 28-14 victory over visiting Mater Dei. The Diablos allowed only 13 yards rushing in the first half, and Mater Dei didn’t make its second first down until less than two minutes remained in the third quarter.

The Diablos have been particularly dominant against the run, especially during the first three quarters.

Laguna Hills had only one yard rushing heading into the fourth quarter, Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley had minus-21 yards at the half and Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills had minus-six yards for the game.

“Most of the games, we can count on one hand the number of first downs the other team had,” Mikkelsen said.