Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Costa Mesa). They managed a 48-43 win over the La Quinta Aztecs on Friday. For the Mustangs, this counts as revenge for the 38-6 victory the Aztecs walked away with the last time they faced one another back in September of 2023.
Costa Mesa got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Gavin Garza out in front who rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.9 yards per carry, and also picked up 30 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave Garza a new career-high in rushing yards. Govern Nguyen was in the mix too, providing Costa Mesa with two touchdowns.
Costa Mesa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 356 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Costa Mesa wouldn't let La Quinta keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Costa Mesa can thank Nguyen and Ryan Lowry for forcing both of them.
When it comes to explaining why La Quinta lost, don't look at Cooper Starnes. Despite the final result, he 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. Another player making a difference was Michael Palacios, who gained 153 total yards and a touchdown.
The victory made it two in a row for Costa Mesa and bumps their season record up to 6-3. As for La Quinta, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-2.
Costa Mesa has already played their next game, a 48-14 win against Loara on the 31st. As for La Quinta, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 34-28 loss against Anaheim on the 1st.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
