Trabuco had a special performance, but not by special teams

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Oh man, how special teams can kill you. That is what Trabuco Hills discovered Friday in its 13-12 loss to top-seeded El Dorado (13-1).

Among the more notable low-lights:

• The Mustangs scored twice against a defense that surrendered more than two touchdowns only once this season -- and both times had the point-after attempts blocked, by Anthony Laurenzi and Kyle Allen. On the latter, a high snap preceded the block.
• The Mustangs fell behind with 30 seconds left in the game, and on the ensuing kickoff only managed to return the ball from the two-yard line to the 15.

• The Mustangs positioned themselves for a 52-yard game-winning field goal attempt with two seconds remaining, but as I remember seeing it, the snap was high. The holder got a hand on it and put it on the ground but didn’t set it. Kicker Christian Lepore alertly picked it up and took off running -- shades of Garo Yepremian, but without the pass -- before being tackled as time expired.

Yes, the ball was slippery at times, particularly in the fourth quarter.

But on this night, Trabuco Hills needed to match El Dorado’s strength -- its offensive and defensive lines -- and did so. Matt Wagner, who rushed for 157 yards, broke some big plays. The Mustangs protected quarterback Cory Brandt, who was sacked only once. They played well enough to win. But they didn’t. And that aspect of the game that often gets overlooked by the casual fan, special teams, hurt the Mustangs when it counted.

‘We killed ourselves,’ Coach Jason Negro said.

-- Martin Henderson