By Brian Hews
The 2012 football season got off to a great start with La Mirada pummeling St. Pauls 52-28. Johnny Hills and Adam Carrasco did most of the damage, amassing over 300 yards and six touchdowns.
Sophomore Kevin Dillman electrified the fans by returning the opening kick off 97 yards, a sign the night was going to go very well for the Matadors.
But St. Paul’s answered with Paul Telles leading his team back with scoring drives making it 21-14 with almost 7 minutes left in the 1st half.
It seemed to be a night of tit-for-tat when E.J. Meza grabbed the next kickoff and romped 98-yards to score. The Matadors stopped St. Paul’s on their next drive and got the lead back on a 58 yard connection between Gerry Myers and Hills.
Matador coaches adjusted their game plan well, as the second half was all Matadors. They out scored the Swordsmen 28-7 and displayed a shut down defense.
La Mirada head coach Mike Moschetti spoke after the game about his team’s performance. “Out of sync in first half if, it was not for special teams we would have been down even more. That last drive, that was our game. They knew we were going to run the ball, and we were still successful.”
The non-league schedule gets even tougher as the Matadors travel next week to play the La Habra Highlanders who have won the last three games.
