No. 3 Mission Viejo beats No. 8 Long Beach Poly despite turnovers
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Alex Bridgford did not need to have his best game Friday to beat a mistake-prone Long Beach Poly.
The Mission Viejo quarterback had two touchdown passes but also threw three interceptions as the host Diablos (3-1), ranked No. 3 by The Times, held on to beat the No. 8 Jackrabbits (3-1), 17-12, in a Pac-5 Division showdown.
Bridgford found success early, connecting on touchdown passes to give the Diablos a 14-6 halftime lead. An injury to running back Jahleel Pinner slowed Mission Viejo in the second half, but Bridgford strung together a series of completions on the Diablos’ final possession to run out the clock.
A fumble recovery by Mission Viejo’s Garrett Marino set up a 24-yard touchdown pass from Bridgford to D.J. Wilson less than three minutes into the game. The Diablos’ Brandon Neville scored on a seven-yard pass in the second quarter.
Poly’s Hayden Hunt kicked field goals of 25 and 27 yards in the first half. Randall Goforth scored on an 84-yard interception in the fourth quarter. He finished with two interceptions.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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