COSTA MESA — The result from the football game the night before showed up on the scoreboard.
The operator cleared it before Costa Mesa High played host to Corona del Mar Friday night. He really didn’t have to change much.
Sure, it was a different game with different teams. The result turned out to be the same for the second home team to use Jim Scott Stadium in as many nights.
There was no home-field advantage for the second Costa Mesa school. The Sea Kings won, 34-6, ruining the Mustangs’ season opener for the second straight season.
Costa Mesa asked for another crack at CdM after last year’s 55-3 beatdown. This one wasn’t as brutal.
Yet, the game almost began with the Sea Kings, ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division preseason coaches’ poll, delivering the knockout blow right away.
Donald Dalton ran back the opening kickoff 88 yards for an apparent touchdown. A block below the waist nullified the return.
The Sea Kings offense jogged onto the field and J.D. Abbott hit the Mustangs hard on the sixth play from scrimmage. The running back tearing up Costa Mesa last year hurt the defense again.
Abbott took a sweep to the left. In the open, no defender stood a chance of stopping Abbott from scoring on a 37-yard run.
Abbott ran through the Mustangs in the first half, totaling two touchdowns and 95 yards on the ground and he caught a 31-yard pass. The second half saw the senior go for much less and he finished the game with 104 yards on 12 carries.
A year ago against Costa Mesa, Abbott recorded a career-day, 205 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. The Mustangs made sure Abbott failed to reach the 200-yard mark again, slowing him down and shutting CdM down in the third quarter.
Cramps also contributed to Abbott touching the ball only three times in the second half. The problem for the Mustangs was their inability to take advantage of Abbott’s absence.
The offense mustered zero points after halftime. Quarterback Todd Davis’ memory didn’t help Costa Mesa’s comeback bid.
“He kept telling me, “I keep forgetting the play on the way to the huddle,’” said Osso, adding Davis suffered blurry vision in the third quarter after getting his bell rung on a couple of plays.
Osso, who was on his way to dropping his fourth opener, said he questioned Davis.
