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Mission Viejo football shuts out Tesoro in South Coast League

October 21, 2023

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Mission Viejo improved its chances for securing a berth into the CIF Southern Section football playoffs with a 36-0 win over Tesoro on Friday in a South Coast League game at Tesoro High.

The Diablos improved to 6-3 overall and 1-1 in league. They lost to San Clemente 20-10 last week in their league opener.

Mission Viejo, No. 7 in the Orange County Top 25, will play at No. 17 Capistrano Valley next Friday, the final week of the regular season and the league finale.

A pass intended for Tesoro wide receiver Todd Nelson, center, is batted away by Mission Viejo defenders in a South Coast League football game in Las Flores on Friday, October 20, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Mission Viejo free safety Jake Hurst celebrates after picking off a pass against Tesoro in the second quarter in a South Coast League football game in Las Flores on Friday, October 20, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Tesoro quarterback Cash O’Byrne fires a pass against Mission Viejo in a South Coast League football game in Las Flores on Friday, October 20, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Tesoro wide receiver Campbell Schamel, left, fights off Mission Viejo cornerback Dijon Lee jr. to make the catch in the second quarter in a South Coast League football game in Las Flores on Friday, October 20, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Mission Viejo running back Hinesward Lilomaiava gets through the Tesoro defense to pick up some yardage in a South Coast League football game in Las Flores on Friday, October 20, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

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Tesoro (5-4, 1-1), No. 13 in the county rankings, will play at No. 5 San Clemente on Friday, Oct. 27.

CIF Southern Section football playoff brackets will be released Oct. 29.

Mission Viejo would likely play in CIF-SS Division 2. Tesoro, also still in the running for a playoff berth, might be in Division 4 if the Titans get in.

Teams will be placed in playoff divisions at the end of the regular season according to the Calpreps ratings.

It is Mission Viejo’s third shutout of the season. The Diablos blanked Highland 58-0 and Hawaii’s Kamehameha 34-0 in nonleague games last month.

Mission Viejo junior quarterback Draiden Trudeau threw two touchdown passes. Sophomore quarterback Luke Fahey, who shared equal time at the position with Trudeau as they have all season, also threw two touchdown passes.

Diablos junior receiver/cornerback Dijon Lee had a touchdown reception and returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown. Lee (6-3, 180) has scholarship offers from many schools including Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA and USC.

Mission Viejo sophomore receiver Vance Spafford caught two touchdown passes to give him 11 touchdown receptions this season.

Lee said the Diablos needed Friday’s win after the previous week’s loss to San Clemente.

“We played real hard today,” said Lee who returned an interception for a touchdown against Tesoro last season. “Started off slow but when we came out after halftime and sped it up and scored three touchdowns.”

Diablos sophomore safety Zachary Foeldi had two interceptions in the first half. One was erased by a Mission Viejo penalty. The one that counted led to Michael Salgado-Medina’s 42-yard field goal halfway through the first quarter to give the Diablos a 3-0 lead.

Tesoro had a chance to tie the game four minutes into the second quarter. Titans kicker Lance Guerrero’s 43-yard field goal attempt had the distance but was slightly wide to the right.

On the next play at the Mission Viejo 20-yard line Fahey launched a perfectly-place pass to Spafford who made the catch at the Tesoro 39-yard line. Spafford tried to outrun the Tesoro defender, figured he would not do so, and stopped at the 10-yard line before cutting inside to angle his way into the end zone. The point-after kick attempt was no good, leaving Mission Viejo with the 9-0 lead that the Diablos would take into the second half.

Trudeau connected with Cash Semonza for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. The point-after kick attempt missed, so the Diablos lead was 15-0. Lee scored on his 19-yard interception return – he cut in front of the receiver to snag the ball and a few strides later was in the end zone – early in the fourth quarter for a 22-0 lead.

Lee scored on a 6-yard pass from Trudeau a few minutes later Fahey threw a short pass to Spafford who flashed into the end zone for a touchdown and a 36-0 lead with 1:41 to go.

Mission Viejo’s Jeron Jones and Trey Tolmaire also had interceptions.

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