Mission Viejo rolls in title-clinching blowout of San Clemente, 41-3

There were a handful of impressive streaks on the line in the South Coast League championship game between San Clemente and Mission Viejo.

Two of those belonged to the Diablos.

Mission Viejo brought in a 37-game winning streak and seven-straight league titles.

The other belonged to Tritons quarterback Jack Sears.

The Duke-bound senior hadn’t thrown an interception through the first nine games, a streak spanning 182 pass attempts.

Two of those streaks remained, but one fell as Sears was intercepted twice. Mission Viejo again reigns in the South Coast League for the eighth consecutive year after defeating San Clemente, 41-3, Friday night at San Clemente High.

The Diablos (10-0, 4-0) will take their 38-game winning streak into the CIF-SS Division I playoffs, which begin next Friday, an idea Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson is still none too pleased about.

“We shouldn’t even be in that conversation,” Johnson said about competing in a private school-laden field. “People know how I feel. We’ll do our best like we do every week and see what happens.”

Fourth-ranked Mission Viejo used Friday night as a tune-up, taking control of the game early by making the most of the rare San Clemente turnovers.

The Diablos first score of the game, a five-yard touchdown pass from Matt McDonald to Colin Schooler, came soon after a fumble recovery in the first quarter.

Mission added another score after Cade Covarrubias picked off Sears in the end zone.

Three plays later, Schooler took one 71-yards down the right sideline to give the Diablos a 14-0 lead at the 8:11 mark of the second quarter.

Mission Viejo blew the game wide open in the third quarter, scoring three times in six minutes to take a 34-0 advantage.

San Clemente’s only score of the game came on a 33-yard field goal from Tristan Trager at the 2:56 mark of the third.

San Clemente (7-3, 4-1) moves on to the postseason, as well, and will compete in CIF-SS Division II.

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