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Patrick Laverty

With 34 returners from the second outright league champion in Costa

Mesa High history and the only squad to go undefeated against league

competition in the program’s 43 varsity seasons, complacency would be

understandable.

After all, with seven starters returning on offense and eight

starters coming back on defense, these players have already gone

through an undefeated season in the Golden West League. They know

what it takes and they’ve done it.

But the task of doing it again has been made easy by a successful

lower-level program, including a junior varsity team that went 8-2

last season and has produced players that have pushed those 34

returners at each and every position.

Complacency hasn’t become an issue because the returners have had

to hold off the competition to retain playing time. The result is

Perkins’ deepest squad since he arrived to guide the Mustangs’

program in 2001.

“Every year we’re hoping someone doesn’t get hurt,” Perkins said.

“This year, if we lose a guy, we plug another one in and there’s not

a big drop off.”

That depth, which includes 63 players, is helped by the 2003

Mustangs being the largest team that Perkins has fielded at Costa

Mesa, a fact he attributes to Costa Mesa’s success last season when

they finished 8-3.

After that success, expectations are high entering this season,

particularly because of those returning starters. Here’s a

position-by-position look a where those players will be, as well as

who is pushing for playing time:

Quarterback: After seeing eight- and nine-man fronts last season

from opponents intent on stopping the run, Perkins hopes to add more

balance to the offense this season. To do so, he will turn to junior

quarterback Bruce Wilkinson, a transfer who started half of last

season at Loara.

Wilkinson has gradually improved over the summer, Perkins said,

and is expected to keep defenses honest. His immersion into a

defending league championship club has been a careful one.

“He’s kind of treading lightly,” Perkins said of taking over a

leadership position like quarterback. “He’s not a real verbal kid. I

think he’s going to earn his respect by his ability to go out and

perform.”

Backing up Wilkinson will be sophomore Ryan French, who played

under center for the junior varsity last season, and senior Mike

Torrenueva.

Running back: Despite losing Keola Asuega, an All-CIF running back

who accepted a scholarship to Idaho State, the Mustangs are still

stocked in the backfield.

Fullback Junior Epenesa, who is being recruited at linebacker by a

number of Pac-10 schools, will primarily be a blocking back, though

he’ll receive some carries. Last season, he carried 31 times for 119

yards and a touchdown.

Epenesa will be blocking for the tandem of Omar Ruiz and Qualic

Vargas. Ruiz, a returning second-team all-league running back who

gained 567 yards on 112 carries last season, an average of more than

5 yards per carry, is a darting type of back. Vargas provides a

different look for the Mustangs. One assistant coach mentioned Jerome

Bettis as a comparison.

The 5-foot-11, 230-pound Vargas transferred to Costa Mesa from a

high school in Kansas and Perkins is quick to label him “a stud.”

“He runs over people,” Perkins said. “He’s not going to fake you

out. He’s going to run you over. And Omar is exactly the opposite.

Omar is there and then he’s not. So they’re completely different and

they complement each other very well.”

Ruiz and Vargas will rotate with one or the other being the

featured back, depending upon the opponent.

Receivers: This is the one position at which the Mustangs are

lacking true experience.

Junior Jorge Quiroz, who played junior varsity last season, had a

good summer and is expected to start at the wideout spot.

Flanker will be shared by Luis Gonzalez, a first-team all-league

defensive back last season, when he did not play much on offense, and

sophomore Evan Hunter.

“We’re going to run a lot of what they like to call the West Coast

passing game and plenty of play action, because we run the ball

well,” Perkins said.

Both Hunter and Gonzalez are real good athletes, which translates

to that all-important football quality: speed.

Tight end: Brett Via (6-3, 225) will provide quite a target for

Wilkinson at tight end. Via started at guard last season but Perkins

moved him to tight end to take advantage of his athleticism and the

Mustangs haven’t lost anything on the offensive line.

“We have some offensive lineman who stepped right in who are going

to be just as good,” Perkins said.

Gary Gonzalez, a senior, and Jeff Waldron, a junior, who shared

time at tight end last season, will provide depth.

Offensive line: The Mustangs are big and experienced up front and

should do a good job of opening holes for the running game. But

Perkins is looking for improvements in pass blocking as well.

“[There is] inexperience in pass blocking because we didn’t throw

the ball that much,” Perkins said. “So we’re still learning how to do

that.”

The run-blocking and play-action schemes are well known, though,

by a line that includes two returning all-league players, another

returning starter and a player who started two years ago but missed

last season because of injury.

Luke Sapolu (5-11, 250), the son of former San Francisco 49er

lineman and current Mustangs offensive line coach Jesse Sapolu,

anchors Costa Mesa’s front five at center after earning first-team

all-league recognition last fall. He is receiving interest from

college recruiters, with the University of Hawaii among those

actively seeking his services.

The other returning all-league player is left tackle Rodrigo

Gutierrez (6-4, 275), a first-team honoree in his first varsity

season. Only a junior, Gutierrez is already being recruited by

Division I schools.

Senior David Vernotico (6-0, 245), who started about 75% of the

Mustangs games last season, will play right guard. Junior Bryce

Carich (6-3, 255) is slated to start at left guard. Senior Zenri Kato

(6-3, 285), who started as a sophomore but missed last season because

of injury, is penciled in at right tackle.

Backups include junior Joe Ortiz and senior Rafael Luna.

Defensive line: Like Kato, Eric Reyes missed all of last season

because of injury, but was a starter for the Mustangs in his

sophomore season. Perkins expects Reyes to have a big year this

season at noseguard.

During the summer, Reyes (5-10, 260) showed off his strength by

squatting 315 pounds, 32 times.

On the outside, Marc Daniels returns as a first-team all-league

defensive end. The other end position will be a rotation between

Carich and Vargas.

“I think with Marc on the other side, we’ll be real tough on the

ends,” Perkins said.

Most of the offensive line will fill in when necessary on the

defensive front.

Linebackers: When Epenesa went to the USC football camp this

summer, he did so as a running back. When he left, he was a

linebacker.

The USC coaches saw unlimited potential in Epenesa and are among

the Pac-10 schools recruiting the Mustangs’ inside linebacker. A

returning all-league performer, Epenesa combines with Sapolu and

Cameron Wynglarz to form the interior linebacker unit.

On the outside, the Mustangs have Waldron, who started

approximately half the games last season, and Gary Gonzalez. Waldron

(6-3, 215), a junior, is a Division I prospect according to Perkins.

Supplying depth will be junior Garrett Walthers.

Secondary: The cornerbacks are also a pair of all-league returning

starters, with Luis Gonzalez and Al Rodriguez, a second-team pick, on

opposite sides of the field.

Rodriguez has been particularly impressive during the preseason,

Perkins said.

Backing up those two will be first-year player Tony Krikorian, a

sophomore basketball player who did not play football last season.

“What a great athlete,” Perkins said of Krikorian. “He’s really a

complement.”

The safety position is a three-way battle right now featuring

sophomore Evan Hunter, junior Jamison Morris and senior Chris

Johnson. Hunter and Morris had a slight edge over Johnson entering

the Mustangs’ preseason scrimmage.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to play any of them,” Perkins said. “They’re

all real good players.”

Kicking game: Like the rest of his squad, Perkins expects to be

strong on special teams as well.

Punting duties will be shared by Waldron, who punted for the

junior varsity team last year, and Vargas, who punted for his school

in Kansas.

Kicking duties fall to sophomore Ryan Bagwell, who nailed a

42-yard field goal in a freshman game last season.

The return men are expected to included Luis Gonzalez and Hunter

on kickoffs, as well as Quiroz on punt returns.