COSTA MESA — Costa Mesa High's Green and White Game was supposed to be about a new football coach in charge. Instead, the buzz was mostly about running back Mario Smith.
Maybe he could be known as "Super Mario," because the skills he showed Friday were like something out of a video game. With explosive speed and deft moves, he's on pace to be the team's featured back and the type of addition that can take the offense to another level.
Smith, who will be a senior in the fall, is a transfer from Silverado of Victorville. His younger brother, Justin, is also on the team and will be a junior. Justin is nursing an ankle injury and did not play.
They moved because their mother, Keisha Brown, relocated to work in Costa Mesa. It's safe to say the Mustangs are grateful for that move.
Mario has been clocked at 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash, he said. He showed great speed throughout and impressed the parents and students on hand for the game that was a non-contact, seven-on-seven scrimmage in which players wore no football gear.
