Trabuco Hills Stuns Huntington Beach With Late Touchdown, 20-19 (2025)

Mission Viejo – Mustang Stadium (THHS)

The turf at Trabuco Hills High School produced more late-game magic Friday night, as the Mustangs stunned Huntington Beach 20-19 with a dramatic fourth-quarter rally in Mission Viejo.

Trailing by 12 points with under 10 minutes left, Trabuco Hills clawed back behind senior quarterback Tristan Zale and senior playmaker Luke Hoffman. Hoffman hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Zale on fourth-and-goal to cut the deficit to 19-14, then powered across the goal line on a 1-yard run with 39 seconds left to give the Mustangs their first lead of the night. A two-point try failed, but the defense stood tall on Huntington Beach’s final drive, with Josh Fitch knocking down a last-second heave into the end zone to preserve the 20-19 win.

The victory was the Mustangs’ 10th straight against Huntington Beach, continuing a streak that has seen three of the last four games decided by four points or fewer. “Holy moly, back and forth,” Trabuco Hills coach Mark Nolan said. “Every year it’s been a different theme with us and Huntington Beach, but it’s been a great game every year.”

Zale completed 18 of 31 passes for 190 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Hoffman proved the difference-maker with both a receiving and rushing score, plus a key kickoff return that set up Trabuco’s first fourth-quarter touchdown.

Huntington Beach looked poised to put the game away early in the fourth quarter. Ohio State commit Brady Edmunds threw three touchdown passes, finishing 19-of-31 for 219 yards and one interception. His favorite target, Colorado State commit Troy Foster, caught nine passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yard bomb that gave the Oilers a 19-7 lead with 9:57 left. Sophomore running back Nathan Villanueva, a transfer from St. Paul, also impressed with 115 rushing yards on 16 carries.

The Oilers opened the night with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Edmunds to Dylin Bruce, then stretched the lead to 13-0 on a 9-yard connection to Foster midway through the third. Trabuco answered quickly with a 52-yard strike from Zale to Fitch, followed by a short touchdown run from Landon Pompey to trim the deficit to 13-7.

Huntington Beach regained momentum behind a 54-yard strike from Edmunds to Foster, but penalties proved costly. The Oilers were flagged 12 times for 131 yards, including a key pass interference call that extended Trabuco’s fourth-quarter rally.

In the end, the Mustangs’ resilience carried them to another one-point victory in this growing rivalry. “We knew this group had tremendous grit,” Nolan said. “It’s not a surprise they showed great mental toughness.”