Costa Mesa was making strides under Jimmy Nolan before disappointing league opener

Costa Mesa Coach Jimmy Nolan leads his team in before the game with Santa Ana on Thursday. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Costa Mesa High’s new football coach Jimmy Nolan knew there would be nights like this.

Nolan was taking over a program that was winless last year.

Strides have been made. The Mustangs have already earned two victories this season; 20-19 over Santiago and 35-7 vs. La Quinta.

They were hoping for another one Thursday night against defending Orange Coast League champion Santa Ana. But Santa Ana took over in the second quarter and rolled to a 40-9 victory at Santa Ana Stadium.

Costa Mesa suffered a big blow when its top running back Bryan Hernandez went down with a hamstring injuy. No. 2 back Emmanual Ortega was injured on Wednesday.

“We planned to throw the kitchen sink at them tonight,” Nolan said. “The kitchen sink went out the window because we needed the right guys. We had to keep things very vanilla and against a team like Santa Ana, if you do that you’ re not going to win.”

Costa Mesa did have QB Nick Burton who passed for 113 yards and rushed for 85 yards. But he was also banged up, Nolan said.

“I’m really proud of him. This is his first year playing football, really,” Nolan said. “He’s kind of the guy who holds this team together.”

It’s been a learning season for the Mustangs, who also lost to Loara 16-0, Los Amigos 27-21 and Kennedy 39-27.

“Those guys taught us a lesson: you win with hitting and you win with violence and mental toughness and we don’t like that. Until we show that and we showed a little bit last week against Kennedy, then we don’t deserve to win,” Nolan said.

“We’re learning a lot, the problem is also positive; they’re such good, classy, well mannered kids so they’re going to do great in life. But football is a little bit not in their mental mindset. “

Nolan has also found out that the program lacks depth. He descibes his players, most who play on both sides as “true gladiators.”

“When you lose one guy here you lose three because they play three ways,” he said. “Our quarterback is banged up, we lost our two running backs and we lost our best defensive back and we lost a lineman.”

Still, Nolan believes the Mustangs will be OK.

“We’re capable, we just got to pray that we don’t get anymore injuries. because that’s tough.”

It doesn’t get any easier for Costa Mesa, which hosts Orange next week.

“I think we got them right up until that first kick-off,” Nolan said. “I think we’ll be all right.”

PHOTOS OF COSTA MESA-SANTA ANA GAME

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com