Trabuco Hills Edges Capistrano Valley, 28-21

Senior quarterback Jonathan Newsom connected with senior receiver Lucas Hoover for a six-yard touchdown late in third quarter that gave Trabuco Hills a 28-21 victory over Capistrano Valley in a nonleague football game Thursday night at Capistrano Valley High.

The score capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive that answered a scoring drive by the Cougars that had tied the score at 21-21 with 7:01 left in the third quarter.

On their drive, the Mustangs (1-0) had a key 23-yard completion from Newsom to senior Tobias Dates that moved the ball into Cougar territory, and Newsom converted a fourth-and-three play with an eight-yard pass to Hoover.

The Cougars threatened to tie the score on a couple of different drives, but Hoover also came up with a big defensive stop on a screen play to stop a third-down conversion attempt and he also picked off a pass when the Cougars had started a drive at midfield.

“We wanted to come out here and finish tonight and that’s what we did,” Hoover said.

The Mustangs also started strong as they took the opening kickoff on went on a 13-play, 83-yard drive that ended with Newsom hitting junior receiver Cole Breeland with an 11-yard fade pass to the corner of the end zone to give the Mustangs a quick lead.

But the Cougars answered even quicker, taking the ensuing kickoff back for a 92-yard touchdown by senior running back Kevin Knipe. But the 7-7 tie would be short-lived as Trabuco Hills senior running back Mitchell Simonsen returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a score that would lead to the Mustangs taking a 14-7 lead.

The special teams miscues also included a missed field goal for each team, but each team also showed some sparks of potential that has them optimistic about the upcoming season.

The Cougars (0-1) were able to tie the score at 14-14 early in the second quarter when they went on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that was highlighted by a flea-flicker pass from junior quarterback Mason Dossey to junior receiver Michael Mullin for a 32-yard gain to the Mustang 29-yard line. Six plays later, Dossey connected with Mullin again, this time for an 11-yard touchdown pass to the corner of the end zone.

Capistrano Valley opened the second half with possession of the ball, but on their first play from scrimmage, Trabuco Hills junior safety Alex Staff intercepted a pass that set up the Mustangs in Cougar territory. A 41-yard pass from Newsom to Hoover moved the ball to the two-yard line, and two plays later, Newsom powered the ball in on a quarterback sneak to give the Mustangs a 21-14 lead. Newsom was 13 of 22 passing for 154 yards.

The Cougars tied the score at 21-21 with a two-yard touchdown run by senior running back James Benedix. The Cougars had moved the ball to the Mustang eight-yard line with a halfback option pass by sophomore Michael Gordon back to Dossey for a 30-yard gain. Dossey had 97 yards passing.

Capistrano Valley coach Matt Poston said he was pleased with the way his team battled back from deficits and the way they fought to the final whistle, but also said they will need to be much more disciplined to reach their full potential.  

"To win a game like this, we need to be error-free and there were just too many mistakes to win a game,” he said.

On the other sideline, the Mustangs expressed similar concerns, but were happy to come away with the victory. Hoover said he liked the way the defense was able to make key stops when it needed to and the way the offense passed the ball. But he also noted that the Mustangs must cut down on mistakes, particularly penalties.

"A lot of penalties, and we need to fix that," he said. "That can’t be happening."

Look for more game photos to be added through the weekend.