Football Recap: La Quinta Aztecs vs. Costa Mesa Mustangs
If La Quinta was riding high fresh off their 47-14 takedown of Loara last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The La Quinta Aztecs fell to the Costa Mesa Mustangs 48-43. The Aztecs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Mustangs apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in September of 2023.
Despite the loss, La Quinta still got an impressive performance from Cooper Starnes, who rushed for 282 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 14.1 yards per carry, and also picked up 43 receiving yards. Starnes is crushing it when it comes to rushing touchdowns: he's punched in at least two every time he's taken the field this season. Michael Palacios was another key rusher, gaining 153 total yards and a touchdown.
Even though they lost, La Quinta was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 369 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 257 rushing yards in nine consecutive matchups.
Costa Mesa's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gavin Garza, who rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.9 yards per carry, and also picked up 30 receiving yards. Those 227 rushing yards gave Garza a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Andrew Waiss, who threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
La Quinta's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-2. As for Costa Mesa, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-3.
La Quinta has already played their next match, a 34-28 defeat against Anaheim on the 1st. As for Costa Mesa, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 48-14 win against Loara on the 31st.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
