Moherman Rebounds for Cougars

MISSION VIEJO —  It took exactly three plays for quarterback Austin Moherman and Capistrano Valley to figure out Mission Viejo’s defense Friday at Mission Viejo.

In the first series of the game, Moherman was sacked, nearly threw an interception and then was picked off by Mission Viejo’s Gerry Delin, who returned the ball 41 yards to give the Diablos a 6-0 lead.

But Moherman completed nine consecutive passes after that and 14 of his remaining 19 attempts for 225 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cougars to a 46-21 victory. The victory set up a showdown with Mater Dei for the South Coast League title next Friday.

“That will be the big one,” Moherman said. “We’ve all been looking forward to it. We’ve both gone 4-0, and we both deserve to be in that game.”

Before Moherman started throwing for touchdowns, Capistrano Valley running back Malaefou MacKenzie rushed for two touchdowns--a 30-yard run up the right side and a two-yard run--which gave Capistrano Valley a 13-7 lead.

The Cougars (7-2, 4-0 in league) scored on touchdown passes to Todd Puffer and Gary Newhouser in the second quarter, taking a 25-7 halftime lead. Mission Viejo (4-5, 1-3) closed the gap to 25-15 in the third on Jake Fitch’s 62-yard pass to Dustin Crane.

Later in the quarter, Mission Viejo punter Nick Gilliam mishandled a snap and Capistrano Valley’s Craig Tortorici recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.