Mission Viejo players and coaches celebrate after winning the state title Friday night. (Photos courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone).
It really doesn’t get any better for Mission Viejo High School’s football team.
Mission Viejo, after capturing the CIF Division 2 Southern Section title against Servite, capped a memorable season Friday night defeating De La Salle 27-14 in the CIF State 1-AA championship game.
And putting a punctuation mark on their post-season run, the Diablos got to celebrate practically in their backyard, at the new Saddleback College football stadium not far from the high school campus with their eighth straight victory.
It’s the first state title for the program since 2015 and first for head coach Chad Johnson, who replaced legendary coach Bob Johnson (no relation).
De La Salle, looking for its eighth state title, struck first on a 55-yard TD run by quarterback Toa Fa’avae in the first quarter. But Mission Viejo responded with 24 unanswered points and sealed the win on a 36-yard field goal by Michael Salgado with 5:07 remaining in the game. Salgado also had a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter.
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
The two quarterback system has been working all year for Mission Viejo and Johnson wasn’t about to change it for the biggest game of the year. Both delivered big-time performances.
Sophomore quarterback Luke Fahey completed 10 of 17 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 83 yards on five carries. Junior Draiden Trudeau completed 8 of 10 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.
“This means so much to us knowing that we’ve been putting in work all year for this moment and we looked on the board and there is only one state champion,” Fahey said. “One of our senior leaders Ryan Karby said, ‘let’s add to that,’ and we did that this year.”
Fahey said the Diablos had a plan going in.
“It was just to play Mission Viejo football,” he said. “We’ve had some struggles being a little too selfish here and there but once we come together as a team, it just shows we’re unstoppable.”
He also credited Trudeau.
“That’s one of my best friends on this team right now, Draiden Trudeau, he helps me tremendously, encouraging me all year to be the guy I am today. I’m so proud of our guys,” Fahey said.
The Diablos receivers also made the big plays. Phillip Bell had seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns and Vance Spafford had six catches for 60 yards. Spafford hauled in an 8-yard TD catch from Fahey late in the third quarter to put the Diablos ahead 24-7.
Derrick Blanche had a 1-yard TD for De La Salle with 8:39 left to cut the Diablos lead to 24-14.
The Diablos hard-running back Hinesward Lilomalava had another big game, rushing for 87 yards on 20 carries and helping his team get into scoring position.
Coach Johnson felt like some pressure was taken off his shoulders.
“Relief is the word I would like to use,” he said. “The pressure you feel taking over the reigns of a program like this, that is so storied and has so many championships and so many great players, there is a lot of pressure. I went to school in the same district, down the street at El Toro where Bob (former long-time coach Johnson) actually taught and coached before Mission. I’m back home and the last thing I want to do is come back home and blow it. I’m relieved, I’m grateful.”
Mission Viejo held a 10-7 lead at halftime and the Diablos got a spark at the start of the third quarter when Boise State commit Treyvon Tolmaire returned the opening kick-off 53 yards. Mission Viejo took over on the De La Salle 48 yard line and moved ahead 17-7 on a 3-yard TD pass from Trudeau to Bell.
“I just wanted to make a play and get my team going and it helped out, we got a touchdown in that same drive and we just continued and won the game,” said Tolmaire, who also had an interception.
“It’s been one helluva ride. It was a really good game plan and good execution and now we’re state champions. It means a lot, I’m going to college in a month, it’s the perfect way to send us and the senior class off, I couldn’t be more happy.”
After the opening drive of the game, Mission Viejo’s defense was outstanding led by Travis Anderson, who was all over the field. Fa’avae was De La Salle’s leading rusher with 162 yards on 17 carries. But the Diablos held the rest of the team to 48 yards rushing. The Spartans’ QB completed 7 of 13 passes for 106 yards and two interceptions.
“Last week, we played a team that was extremely fast-tempo and it took us a drive to get used to it,” Johnson said. “The bottom line is, our scout team does an incredible job but it’s still not the same, it kind of takes our guys maybe a drive or two to get used to what they’re going against and then we adjust and then hopefully shut people down,” Johnson said.
In the end, the hometown fans, who packed their side of the stadium, roared as Johnson and his players accepted the CIF State championship trophy, adding to the trophy collection while snapping De La Salle’s 11-game winning streak.
Comparisons to titles?
“Better, I mean a state championship is better than a CIF championship, right? I was extremely happy with the CIF title and so proud of our guys but to beat De La Salle in Division 1 of the state championship of California is pretty special and I’m going to enjoy this,” Johnson said.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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