MISSION VIEJO — Mission Viejo’s football team lost its first game of the season last week, but the Diablos showed no ill effects from that setback Friday night.
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Riding the arm and legs of Brett Burnor, and a defense that dominated from the outset, Mission scored a 56-0 victory over Lincoln of San Diego.
Mission Viejo showed no recurring effects from its first loss. Ranked No. 4 in Orange County by the Register, and No. 7 in the state by MaxPreps, the Diablos cleaned up their mistakes and appeared to be better for it as it scored on its second possession and was never seriously challenged.
“The biggest thing is the execution, the lack of mistakes, the cleaning up of the mistakes,” Mission coach Chad Johnson said of the improvement after last week’s loss to Folsom. “From tackling, to fielding a punt properly, to not dropping a pass – all of it.”
On its “Mission for Heroes” night on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Diablos scored twice in the first and second quarters to put Lincoln in a hole too big to dig out.
Then they added 21 in the third quarter.
The Diablos defense allowed only 65 yards.
It was a terrific performance all around.
In the first half, no one was more impressive than Brett Burnor, who rushed eight times for 53 yards and two touchdowns, and passed for 112 yards on eight of 10 completions, including a 28-yard strike to Jack Junker that gave Mission a 7-0 lead with 3:07 left in the first quarter.
Burnor finished 15 of 18 for 181 yards and three touchdown passes, and rushed nine times for 63 yards and two touchdowns, of 12 and five yards.
“That first drive we got stopped, but we bounced right back,” said Burnor, a sophomore. “Nobody likes losing. It was great to get our confidence back.”
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The Diablos added another seven points before the quarter ended. A 22-yard punt return by Junker and a personal foul gave Mission the ball at the Lincoln 12. Right away, Burnor went through the right side with 21 seconds left for a 14-0 advantage.
Mission scored on its third consecutive possession, with Burnor scoring from five yards. The big play was a 19-yard carry by Wyatt Boardman.
Burnor threw an interception on the next possession, but completed all four of his passes in the final 1:48 for 62 yards before Carson Vandermade scored from five yards with 27 seconds left. Caleb Sylvia’s PAT made it 28-0, and the result was all but inevitable at that point.
Burnor threw TD passes of 6 and 17 yards to Carson Vandermade in the third quarter.
Vandermade carried nine times for 36 yards and Wyatt Boardman five for 51.
Vandermade also caught five passes for 40 yards and touchdowns of six and 17 yards.
The Mission starters were removed late in the third quarter.
“It’s great to see all the veterans coming out here to support us,” Burnor said. “It’s very important to honor them and know what they went through at that time, and the other people too, and I’m excited to honor them through football.”
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