Football Recap: Yucca Valley Takes Down Costa Mesa in a Playoff Battle

It's playoff time, and Yucca Valley had no trouble coming through when it counted. They were the clear victors by a 43-17 margin over the Costa Mesa Mustangs on Friday. The win was nothing new for the Trojans as they're now sitting on three straight.

Clyde King

Rushing Touchdowns

11/07/25 vs Costa Mesa	2
10/30/25 vs Twentynine Palms	1
10/17/25 @ Coachella Valley	0
10/03/25 vs Banning	1
09/26/25 vs Desert Hot Springs	1
+ 2 more games

Yucca Valley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Clyde King led the charge by rushing for 156 yards and a pair of TDs on only 13 carries, while also picking up 37 receiving yards. What's more, King posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in September. Another pass catcher making a difference was Aiden Pope, who gained 160 total yards and three touchdowns.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Yucca Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Costa Mesa only rushed for 83.

Costa Mesa lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Andrew Waiss, who picked up 205 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His longest reception was for an incredible 70 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Barrientes, who threw for 205 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight passes.

Yucca Valley's record is now 7-4. As for Costa Mesa, they moved to 9-2 with that defeat, which also ended their eight-game winning streak.

Coming up, Yucca Valley will square off against Grace at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Costa Mesa does not have any more games scheduled as of now.