Football: Mission Viejo 47, Redlands East Valley 21

Mission Viejo might be the best football team in Orange County, but not every game can be a masterpiece. The Diablos won Friday at Citrus Valley High, 47-21, against Redlands East Valley, a strong program from the Inland Empire.

It’s a long bus trip, but it was worth it as the Diablos remained undefeated and played a team that’s not afraid to play anyone.

Score: Mission Viejo 47, Redlands East Valley 21

Key Stats:  Ian Fieber completed 15 of 26 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns, of 23 yards to Connor Hill for a 13-0 lead, and 10 yards to Daniel Marx for a 26-13 lead with 2:14 left in the first half.

Pivotal Moment: Mission held a 26-14 lead late in the third quarter. REV wasn’t out of the game by any means. But then Jake White returned a fumble 20 yards and it was 33-14. Less than two minutes later, Sean Modster returned a punt 48 yards for a score. The fumble return opened the floodgates.

Quotable: “Our kids just didn’t play as well as they should in the first half,” Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson told the Orange County Register. “They surprised us a little bit … just opened our eyes.”

Records: Mission Viejo (6-0), REV (1-4)

Notes:  Mission Viejo is ranked No. 1 in Orange County, No. 2 in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division and, according to Maxpreps computer rankings, No. 6 in the state. … REV has lost four consecutive games to teams ranked in the state top 30, including No. 28 Ventura St. Bonaventure (35-13), No. 21 Vista Murrieta (69-21) and No. 29 Orange Lutheran (49-13). … Alex Suchesk rushed 21 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns, of 72 and 8 yards. for Mission Viejo. ...

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Tony Williams scored from 1 yard for a 20-7 lead early in the second quarter. … REV gave freshman Armando Herrera his first start and he passed for 220 yards in the first half, 261 for the game. He had TD passes of 12 and 11 yards. … Mission Viejo has a bye next week before playing its first South Coast League game at home against San Clemente on Oct. 18.