With a playoff game on the line, La Habra rose to the challenge on Friday. They skirted past the Mira Costa Mustangs 27-24. The victory was familiar territory for the Highlanders who have now won ten matches in a row.
La Habra found their leader in sophomore DJ Mitchell, who threw for 117 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes, and also rushed for 48 yards. Another player making a difference was Kenneth Saucedo, who gained 118 total yards and a touchdown.
La Habra was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 205 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mira Costa only rushed for 46.
Mira Costa's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nicolas De La Cruz, who threw for 156 yards and three touchdowns. De La Cruz's passing game has become a key predictor of Mira Costa's success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 3-5 otherwise. Luke Meeker was De La Cruz's top target, picking up 102 receiving yards and a touchdown.
La Habra's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.4 points per game. As for Mira Costa, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-6 record this season.
La Habra will take on Simi Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. La Habra is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 37.1 points per game this season. Mira Costa does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
