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Capistrano Valley football improves to 7-0 with win over Aliso Niguel

October 7, 2023

ALISO VIEJO — Capistrano Valley scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Aliso Niguel in a 42-19 nonleague football win Friday at Aliso Niguel High.

The Cougars are 7-0 for the first time since 2017, a season in which the team went 10-0 in the regular season.

“It feels awesome,” Capistrano Valley coach Sean Curtis said. “This is a fun team with a lot of good kids and parents. I’m trying to slow down and enjoy the moment.”

Capo Valley dominated the line of scrimmage and ran for 303 yards with four touchdowns. Quarterback Tommy Acosta was the game’s most valuable player with 232 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns.

“I guess the secret is out,” Curtis said. “We had been kind of known as a passing team. We knew we were going to have a strong offensive line and we tried to flip the mentality and become more balanced. Tommy is pretty special with the ball in his hands.”

“It was all the offensive line opening giant gaps for us,” Acosta said.

The game turned early in the fourth quarter. Capo Valley led 21-17 entering the quarter when Landen Woodson ran for a 25-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 28-17.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Cougars kicked between layers of the Aliso Niguel return team and Brayden Saavedra recovered the ball at the Aliso Niguel 15-yard line.

“It was a designed pooch kick,” Curtis said. “We came into the game wanting to kick away from (Jarett) Sabol who we respect a lot. We saw the bubble back there, the kicker put it in a perfect spot and it was a huge play.”

Acosta and running back Cash Moormann ran for touchdowns shortly after to give the Cougars 21 straight points in a six-minute period to make the score 42-17.

Aliso Niguel (5-2) ran for 107 yards in the first half and entered halftime tied, but struggled to move the ball in the second half.

Penalties were a big part of the game that affected both teams. Capo Valley had 15 penalties for 156 yards and Aliso Niguel had 14 penalties for 110 yards.

Aliso Niguel opened the game with a 13-play, 82-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Luke Jones to give the Wolverines an early 7-0 lead.

The Cougars responded on their first offensive play with an 80-yard touchdown run by Acosta to tie the game.

On the first play of the second quarter, Acosta threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Hudson Campbell to give Capo Valley a 14-7 lead.

Sabol, a USC baseball commit, ran for a 14-yard touchdown to tie the game for Aliso Niguel at 14-14 entering halftime.

Acosta and Campbell connected again for a 24-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. Campbell led the Cougars with 63 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Acosta completed 14 of 20 passes for 119 yards.

Grant Snyder made a 34-yard field goal for Aliso Niguel in the third quarter. Ayden Sanchez had an interception which led to the field goal.

Capo Valley will play Tesoro in its South Coast League opener next Friday, Oct. 13.

“With the South Coast League, games come down to five or six key plays,” Curtis said. “We just need to take care of the ball, limit penalties and respond in clutch moments. When we play clean we think we can play with anybody.”

Aliso Niguel had a five-game winning streak entering Friday. The Wolverines open Sea View League play on the road next Friday against Trabuco Hills.

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Orange County Register