PREP FOOTBALL : South Coast League : Homework Pays Off for Diablos : Mission Viejo Makes Use of Irvine Previews in Victory

Brian Spencer, Mission Viejo High School linebacker turned film critic, knew just what to expect. After all, he had seen the coming attractions all week.

Spencer had noticed in several Irvine game films that the Vaqueros had a tendency to use a power sweep or quarterback bootleg play in critical situations.

So when Irvine lined up for a 2-point conversion attempt with 1:50 remaining and trailing Orange County’s top-ranked team by only a point, Spencer was more than ready.

Spencer, an outside linebacker, tackled Irvine running back Pat White 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage to preserve Mission Viejo’s 14-13 victory Friday night in front of 1,800 in Irvine Stadium.

Mission Viejo’s eighth consecutive victory didn’t come easily. Quarterback Troy Kopp had an off night and, consequently, the Diablo offense sputtered for most of the game. Mission Viejo needed a 73-yard run by versatile Eric Ekdahl on a faked punt attempt to gain its first lead in the third quarter and then the last-minute heroics by Spencer to spoil Irvine’s upset bid.

Afterward, Spencer said that if he hadn’t stopped White on the conversion play, there would have been another defender right behind him to make the play.

“I had the outside containment, and I was expecting a sweep to my side,” Spencer said. “If I wouldn’t have got him, someone else would have. We had a good idea of what they were going to do.”

But Mission Viejo surely couldn’t have anticipated the physical pounding it was going to take. Irvine (5-3, 1-2) outplayed and outhit Mission Viejo (8-0, 3-0) most of the game.

Irvine set the tone and established some momentum early, intercepting Kopp and then driving 60 yards in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Mike Belle scored on a 2-yard run.

Mission Viejo managed to net only 3 yards in the first quarter and only 3 interceptions by cornerback Jeff Jurgemeyer kept the Diablos close.

Ekdahl, the county’s leading scorer, finally sparked a lethargic offense by catching a 4-yard touchdown pass from Kopp with 4:19 remaining in the first quarter. Still, Mission Viejo was having problems getting untracked until Ekdahl came up with the offensive play of the game.

The score was tied, 7-7, when Ekdahl dropped back about 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage at the Irvine 15-yard line to punt. He took the snap, glanced to his right and noticed a clear alley.

Ekdahl headed for the part of the field that he’s all too familiar with . . . the end zone. He weaved his way through several tacklers at midfield and then had little trouble reaching the end zone for a stunning 73-yard run.

“Eric has the green light whenever he goes back to punt,” Mission Viejo Coach Mike Rush said. “We tell him, if you see it (open field), run it. He called it.”

Ekdahl accounted for all of Mission Viejo’s scoring, marking the second game this season that he has scored every point. Earlier, he scored 14 points in Mission Viejo’s season-opening 14-7 victory over San Diego Morse.