Mira Costa fell to Palos Verdes 34-14 in a Bay League game Thursday, Oct. 15, in Manhattan Beach.
The loss dropped the Mustangs to 2-7 overall and 1-2 in league play. It was the 10th consecutive time Palos Verdes has beaten Mira Costa, as first reported by the Daily Breeze. The previous three meetings had been decided by a combined nine points, according to the Daily Breeze, but this one was never close.
Senior quarterback Ryan Rakowski threw four touchdowns and ran for a fifth for the Sea Kings (7-1, 1-1 Bay League). Receiver Jalen Flowers hauled in three of those scoring passes and finished with 184 receiving yards. Flowers also grabbed an interception and forced a fumble on defense.
The Sea Kings struck on their opening possession when Rakowski found Flowers behind two defenders for a 43-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, Rakowski hit Jackson Reese on a 12-yard scoring pass to make it 13-0, then connected with Flowers again from midfield to push the halftime lead to 20-0.
"We needed a big play before halftime, so I just saw him streaking down the field and went through my reads and just threw it up and he made a play," Rakowski told the Daily Breeze.
Rakowski's 5-yard keeper capped a 98-yard drive in the third quarter and stretched the margin to 34-0. PV coach Guy Gardner said his players returned with "a businesslike attitude" after losing to Inglewood the previous Friday, despite a short turnaround.
The Mustangs avoided the shutout in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Wyatt Nucci connected with Andre Meltzer on a 3-yard touchdown pass, and Ethan Javahery added a 12-yard scoring run.
Mira Costa had entered the game ranked No. 9 in the Daily Breeze's Top 10 after a 56-0 Bay League win over Leuzinger. The Mustangs have a bye week before hosting Redondo Union on Friday, Oct. 30. Palos Verdes visits Redondo Union in its next Bay League matchup.
