Sports
Los Amigos Routs Costa Mesa in First-Round Playoff Matchup
The Lobos came up with big plays on both sides of the ball as well as on special teams as they scored 38 unanswered points in a 38-7 win.
Big plays were the theme Friday night as Anthony Magana returned two punts for touchdowns, Leonard Zambrano scored on a 63-yard run and Los Amigos scored 38 unanswered points in a 38-7 blowout over Costa Mesa.
Danny Hernandez and Felix Cruz both added touchdowns for the Lobos. Costa Mesa (8-3) got on the board first wen Mario Smith found the end zone on 31-yard run less than a minute into the game.
Los Amigos answered with a 37-yard field goal on the ensuing drive. After getting a stop on the following Mustangs possession, the Lobos received the first of Magana’s punt return touchdowns, an 81-yard sprint down the right sideline. The return energized the crowd and an excited defense stepped back onto the field looking to preserve the lead. An encroachment penalty on fourth down extended the Mustangs drive, but Costa Mesa failed to score thanks to a forced fumble inside the Lobos own 10-yard-line.
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“I’m excited about the way our defense responded,” said Lobos coach Carl Agnew. “It’s what we’ve done all year.”
Los Amigos made the Mustangs pay for their mistake, going 60 yards on nine plays to take a 17-7 lead right before halftime.
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A physical Lobos defense shut out the Mustangs in the second half, and Los Amigos tacked on three more touchdowns to put the game away.
Things got a bit chippy in the fourth quarter, as emotions boiled over in the late stages of the blowout. A skirmish broke out after the Lobos got a fourth down stop with under six minutes to play, and a Los Amigos player was ejected for his role.
Lobos running back Jerry Saldivar said he feels confident about his team’s chances going forward.
“We knew we had it in us,” said Saldivar of Los Amigos’ bounce-back performance. “We’re going to work hard to win these four games after the [regular] season.”
Opposing the Lobos in the second round will be the Corona Del Mar Sea Kings, who defeated Westminster in the opening round 43-7. The Sea Kings (9-2) finished second in the Pacific Coast League behind Beckman. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.