Costa Mesa claims first Battle for the Bell football win in five years

Costa Mesa's Gavin Garza (5) evades a tackle by Estancia's Eric Perez (7) during the Battle for the Bell football game.

By Andrew Turner

Staff Writer

Sept. 2, 2026 11:17 AM PT

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Costa Mesa could not contain its excitement after a dominant showing against Estancia, the Mustangs — and their fans — celebrating a win on the crosstown rival’s field.

Senior quarterback Matthew Barrientes, who made his second career start on Friday, had just seen the clock run out on his first win when he decided to take a team flag through the handshake line.

Barrientes seized the opportunity after his 270 passing yards and three touchdowns propelled Costa Mesa to a 41-7 win, giving the Mustangs their first win over the Eagles in five years in the Battle for the Bell football game.

After losing his helmet, Costa Mesa quarterback Matthew Barrientes (14) comes up for a touchdown, against rival Estancia on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“It was amazing,” Barrientes said of winning the rivalry game, the sound of teammates ringing the bell still reverberating around Jim Scott Stadium. “We’ve been preparing for this since last year, since they planted their flag on our field. We came out firing. Coach had a great game plan, and we just executed better than them.”

An efficient evening in the short and intermediate passing game kept the chains moving and the clock running. Barrientes completed 21 of 25 pass attempts for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored from 3 yards out on a quarterback keeper on the opening drive.

Gavin Garza, who led the Mustangs’ backfield the past two years with Andrew Waiss taking the snaps, praised the early returns for Barrientes, who is starting for the first time since they were lower-level teammates their freshman year.

Costa Mesa’s Ruben Sanchez (24) runs for the end zone, as Estancia’s Evan Rodriguez (14) and Adrian Garcia (4) try to drag him down.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“He is a very hard worker,” Garza said of Barrientes. “He puts in time after practice, he’s a great teammate, and he deserves this. This is what he deserves, because he’s been on the sideline cheering us on for two whole years. He deserves the shine.”

Costa Mesa (1-1) had full control at halftime, holding a 20-0 lead while preventing Estancia (0-1) from picking up a first down.

Garza’s second scoring run came nearly seven minutes into the third quarter, extending the lead to 27-0, before the Eagles’ kick return unit provided a jolt of energy for the hosts.

Estancia’s Nathan Burciaga (22) is brought down by Costa Mesa tacklers during the Battle for the Bell football game on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Juan Silva returned the ensuing kickoff up the right sideline for a touchdown, but the Estancia offense remained unable to make headway the rest of the contest. The Eagles ran 12 plays in the first half and 20 for the game.

“We got some growing up to do,” Estancia coach Mike Bargas said. “Tonight, we got a lesson, so hopefully we learn from this thing. We got nine more games guaranteed. We just didn’t look prepared.”

Estancia will travel to Bell Gardens (1-1) on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Jack Shafiyoon led the Mustangs’ receiving corps with five catches for 84 yards. Ruben Sanchez had six catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, and Rex Tompkins reeled in a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Shayan Tavakoli turned 15 touches into 71 total yards, including a late rushing touchdown, adding a fumble recovery on defense.

Costa Mesa, which plays host to Los Amigos (0-1) on Friday, created a couple of turnovers before the finish, with Kash Foti factoring into both with a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“It’s been a long time since we got the Bell, and we felt pretty confident coming into tonight,” Costa Mesa coach Gary Gonzalez said. “We knew we had a good game plan, both offensively and defensively. Last year, we were a little upset by how things ended ... and we knew we were the better team last year, as well.

“But this year, we put it all together, and we left no doubt. I think that’s the biggest thing for us is, like, we didn’t want to leave any room for error. We just said, ‘Hey, we’re playing all four quarters.’ We said this whole week, ‘We’re focusing on 48 minutes,’ and tonight, we came out and we played really well.”

Costa Mesa last beat Estancia, 14-7, in 2021, the first full season since the pandemic. At home last season, the Mustangs believed they had scored a potential game-tying touchdown late in regulation, but a goal-line stand gave the result to the Eagles.

“We have all of the wins and losses of Estancia versus Costa Mesa for the past 20 years [on a board], and we looked at that, and we were like, ‘We want to break that,’” Garza said of the Mustangs wanting to buck the recent trend in the rivalry, which included 11 of the last 12 meetings going to the Eagles. “We want to break that curse. We want to change how it is.”

Among the success achieved by recent Costa Mesa teams, including the program’s first playoff win in 27 years in 2024, Gonzalez said this win is for the alumni that provided the “sacrifice” to prepare them for this moment.

“This is for them, as well,” Gonzalez said. “This is for our school. This is for our fans. This is for the people who invested in us.”