High School Football: Mesa defense impresses

COSTA MESA — It has been two decades now since Myron Miller coached the most successful team in Costa Mesa High football history, the 1993 team that advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division VIII title game. It remains the only time the Mustangs have played for a CIF title.

Miller showed up at Jim Scott Stadium on Friday afternoon to check out this year’s Mustangs and to support his longtime assistant coach at both Costa Mesa and Tustin, Wally Grant.

Miller chatted with Grant, who is entering his third year as Mesa’s head coach, prior to the Mustangs’ scrimmage against Duarte. Miller has more time nowadays, since stepping down after 18 years at Tustin last November.

“This is the first year I’ve had off for 44 years,” said Miller, 70. “If I coach again, it’ll be as somebody’s assistant.”

Miller coached DeWayne Crenshaw on that 1993 team. He smiled Friday as he watched DeWayne’s son, Oronde, who is now the star senior running back and linebacker for the Mustangs.

The scrimmage lasted for 100 minutes. Grant said after it ended that he is looking for improved offensive play, heading into Friday’s season opener at Western.

“I was pleased with my skill,” Grant said. “[Quarterback] Oliver [Ferris] did a great job finding the open guy and getting him the ball, and Daniel Lawrence came in and got his reps at quarterback and looked good. Our skill players showed what they can do, but I’m concerned about our big’uns up front. We cannot go into next week’s opener against Western looking like we did up front. We’ll be embarrassed. Toby [Howell] is a good coach, and he’s going to have those guys ready to play us.

“I was real pleased with what we did defensively. We bent a little bit, but we didn’t break. Our front four did a good job, and our linebackers were free to go hunting, as I like to call it. There’s some things that we need to work on, but I’m pleased with how we look defensively. I’m very unhappy with how we look offensively.”

The scrimmage was played in sunny but breezy conditions. It caught the attention of Duarte Coach Jason Martin, who started at cornerback for Utah. At one point he asked Grant if it was always that windy at the Mustangs’ home stadium.

Things looked like a breeze for Costa Mesa early. Duarte did not score on its first three offensive possessions, the last one ending when Mesa’s Elijah Blanford intercepted a low pass over the middle. It was the first of three interceptions for Blanford, a junior free safety, in the scrimmage.

Crenshaw had a 15-yard run on Mesa’s first play from scrimmage. The second play went for six, as Ferris found 6-foot-4 senior Quinton Bell on a pass to the left. Bell broke two tackles, and was off to the races for a 65-yard touchdown.

Grant said that Bell suffered a hip flexor on the play, however, and he did not play for the rest of the scrimmage. Senior tight end/defensive end Joseph Quiroz also rolled his left ankle early in the scrimmage and did not return, although Grant said that was for precautionary reasons.

The Mustangs are walking on eggshells a bit. A projected two-way starter on the line, senior Corbin Pritchard, is currently out with a knee injury.

“I’m concerned, because I’m going to ask some kids to do some things the next couple of weeks who really aren’t ready yet,” Grant said. “We’ve got to do a lot of coaching here in the next couple of weeks, to get ready for our league competition.”

Duarte did not score until its sixth offensive series, when starting quarterback Isaiah Scott connected with a receiver on a 53-yard touchdown pass. But Mesa’s offensive highlights were also at a minimum, until the teams started drives from the opponent 30-yard line near the end of the scrimmage.

The Mustangs scored three straight times from the five-yard line to end it. The first came on a pass to Lawrence, then fullback Will Padilla rumbled in before Crenshaw capped off the action.

Crenshaw, the team’s leading tackler for the last two years, liked the defensive effort from the Mustangs.

“On defense, we were great,” Crenshaw said. “We came out with a lot of energy. We stopped them the first series and the second series very easily ... On offense, the line just needs to step it up a little bit better, and I need to step it up 10 times better. I think we’re going to be just fine for the season. Our season’s going to be amazing.”