Prep football: Shadow of death

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The Costa Mesa High football team produced its sixth

straight winning season this fall, but 2001 will be forever remembered

for one ultimate loss.

The Mustangs played on with heavy hearts after senior Matt Colby

collapsed Sept. 28, after taking himself out of a nonleague game against

Ocean View, and died the next day, never having regained consciousness.

The cause of death is still unknown.

Mesa elected to play the following week and defeated Whittier

Christian, 42-11, with a commemorative patch honoring Colby sewn to the

front left shoulder of their jerseys. They also applied large No. 9

decals (Colby’s number) on the left side of their helmets, and used

smaller No. 9 decals to designate outstanding individual plays on their

helmets.

They broke every defensive huddle with the chant “Colby” and players

frequently punctuated outstanding plays by pointing skyward, an obvious

reference to their late teammate.

First-year coach Dave Perkins said before Friday’s CIF Southern

Section Division IX first-round playoff loss to Los Amigos, he was

extremely proud of his players for battling through adversity en route to

a 7-4 record.

The seven wins have been topped by only three Mustang squads (1997,

‘93 and ‘76), and match the total posted by teams in 1978, ‘79, ’94 and

‘96.

The victories included a crucial 17-0 triumph over Corona del Mar to

wrap up the league’s third guaranteed playoff berth.

But Los Amigos finished off the Mustangs Friday at Garden Grove High,

38-27.

Individually, junior fullback Keola Asuega became the ninth rusher in

the program’s 42 varsity seasons to surpass the 1,000-yard plateau. With

107 yards against Los Amigos, Asuega finished with 1,047 yards and 15

touchdowns, despite missing the regular-season finale with a strained

hamstring.

Combined with his sophomore output, Asuega has 1,881 career rushing yards and 28 touchdowns entering his senior season. His career rushing

yards rank fifth on the school’s all-time list and another 1,000-yard

senior campaign would vault him into the top five all-time among

Newport-Mesa District ball carriers.

Senior Nick Cabico, who debuted on the Mesa varsity as a freshman,

then returned after a sophomore season at Mater Dei, finished with 1,897

career yards from scrimmage (1,279 on 172 rushing attempts and the rest

on 29 career receptions). His nine TDs this year gave him 19 for his

varsity career and his team-high six interceptions this season give him

nine for his career.