Posted on 21 September 2013 by La Habra Journal
La Habra’s Elijah Carter looks for more running room as Mission Viejo’s Cole Paton attempts to chase him down in the Highlanders’ 46-21 loss, Friday night.
by Jeremiah Girard
La Habra Journal
CERRITOS – The Mission Viejo Diablos proved they are the number one team in the county with a 46-21 victory over the La Habra Highlanders, Friday, at Cerritos College.
“We got beat by a great team today,” said La Habra head coach Frank Mazzotta. “We made some mistakes but they beat us. We will go back to practice and do what we do.”
Turnovers were an issue for La Habra, as sophomore quarterback Eric Barriere was intercepted three times despite throwing for 201 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown. Elijah Carter was the prime target, hauling in seven passes for 96 yards.
The Highlanders also fumbled a pitch at their own 19-yard line, which led to a Diablos touchdown.
Things did not start off well for the Highlanders. The Diablos (4-0) moved the ball down into La Habra territory with relative ease. La Habra did force Mission Viejo to try to convert a fourth and 14 from the 33-yard-line.
Diablo quarterback Ian Fieber hit Andrew Schuurs with a 28-yard pass to get Mission Viejo a first-and-goal from the 5-yard-line. On the next play Alex Suchesk pounded the ball in for a 5-yard touchdown run.
The Highlanders’ first drive started from their own 18-yard-line after a holding call on the return.
They could not get anything going and Eric Barriere was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety, and the Diablos took a 9-0 lead.
The second drive for the Diablos was more of the same. Mission Viejo drove the ball down, without much resistance, and Suchesk pounded in a 4-yard touchdown.
La Habra running back Carlos Martin finds open space for a big gain in the Highlanders’ 46-21 loss to Mission Viejo, Friday night.
The Highlanders’ offense got their legs going in their second series and drove down the field for an 80-yard touchdown drive, to cut the deficit to 16-7. The drive culminated with a 2-yard run by Carlos Martin.
The junior running back scored twice and led the Highlanders ground game with 50 yards.
La Habra’s defense also got its act together and stopped Mission Viejo on its ensuing possession on fourth down around midfield.
But the Highlanders (3-1) got pushed back and turned the ball over on a fumble at their own 19-yard-line.
The Diablos took advantage of the field position and scored on a 17-yard pass from Fieber to Connor Hill, to take a 23-7 lead with 5:30 remaining in the half.
After the touchdown, La Habra took over at the 20-yard-line and Barriere threw an interception that Brayden Roesch returned 25 yards for a touchdown, to expand the lead to 30-7.
La Habra started the second half with a turnover on downs and Mission Viejo picked up right where they left off. The Diablos marched right down the field again, and Fieber and Schuurs connected for a 10-yard score, to make the lead 37-7.
Barriere fumbled a snap on the ensuing Highlander drive, and the Diablos took over at the La Habra 24-yard-line. The Highlander defense held strong and forced Mission Viejo to attempt a 22-yard field goal. Zach Olson drilled it right through the uprights to give the Diablos a 40-7 lead, right at the end of the third quarter.
The Highlander offense finally began to click and they drove the ball all the way down following a touch back. The drive was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown run by Barriere.
After a three-and-out, the Highlanders took over at their own 44-yard-line. The Highlanders got a nice 20-yard gain on the first play, but on the second play Barriere threw an interception and Mission Viejo took over at their own 3-yard-line.
“Eric is a tough kid,” Mazzotta said. “He showed some good signs today and I have no doubt that he will be ready to go next week.
La Habra tight end DJ Cloy lines up and readies himself for the Highlanders’ upcoming play in a 46-21 loss to Mission Viejo, Friday night,
With 1:53 remaining in the game, Carlos Martin carried in a two-yard score to cut the deficit to 40-21. The Highlanders then tried an onside kick, which failed.
The Diablos did not let up, and Jaloni Miller caught a touchdown pass from Hunter Bland. The ensuing two-point conversion failed, so the Diablos took a 46-21 lead.
Fieber finished with 144 yards through the air for Mission Viejo, while Suchesk added 57 yards on the ground.
Gaines was tough on the defensive line with four tackles for loss and two sacks.
PHOTOS BY SHANE MORINES, LA HABRA JOURNAL