The Murrieta Mesa football team made history last season by capturing the program’s first CIF Southern Section championship.
The Rams continued to show the heart of a champion in their 2025 season opener.
Murrieta Mesa trailed Newport Harbor by a point late in the fourth quarter, but Coleman Jones tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass to Chris Flores with 28 seconds remaining to lift the Rams to 33-27 victory,
It marks the program’s first victory in a season opener since the COVID-delayed-and-shortened campaign in the spring of 2021.
“Our players really rose to the challenge last week,” said Murrieta Mesa coach Oscar McBride, who was chosen the IE Varsity Coach of the Year last season. “Thursday was a litmus test for our program and our kids, and they showed a lot of pride of heart.
“I really couldn’t be more proud of where the culture of team is at the moment. And that is a real testament to our players.”
Murrieta Mesa suffered heavy losses to graduation and also saw a handful of key players transfer to other schools. McBride said the Rams suited up 46 players for this year’s opener, down about 20 players from last year’s roster.
“On paper, we definitely lost a lot,” McBride said. “But we also have a lot of high-performing players. When someone goes, that gives other players the opportunity to step up into a bigger role. I love seeing how the relationships have galvanized this team.”
Jones, a junior, started the first five games of the 2025 season while Trey Gamble Jr. was sidelined with an injury. Gamble transferred to Muir for his senior season. Jones completed 12 of 23 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns last week.
“I’m excited to watch him play and grow as a player,” McBride said. “This is his team now, and he was nails when we needed him to put together a game-winning drive.”
Murrieta Mesa travels to across town to face Vista Murrieta in a nonleague game Friday night.
TROJANS WIN BIG AT SOFI STADIUM
Special was the word of the day for the Hillcrest football team in last week’s season opener.
The Trojans scored four special teams touchdowns during their 61-15 win over Corona at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Senior Matthew Ramos returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and he scored on another kickoff later in the game. Ramos is an all-purpose player who was the team’s quarterback last season. He will be used at different position this season.
Junior wide receiver and safety Nico Bernal scored on punt returns of 52 and 40 yards.
“I’ve never seen that many kick returns for touchdowns in one game,” Hillcrest coach Travis Carter said. “It’s a combination of many things. Matt and Nico are really good players, and their teammates provided some key blocks. And there probably was a little luck involved. That kick return by Matt to start the game really set a positive tone for the entire game.”
Carter said the experience of playing at SoFi Stadium lived up to expectations.
“It was pretty surreal walking in. Everyone was in awe, and I think that led to some nerves for everyone,” Carter said. “Eventually the guys settled in and we walked away with a victory. It was an incredible experience to give to the kids. We had fun, so it definitely was worth it.”
Two more Inland teams will get the experience at SoFi Stadium this week. Upland takes on Charter Oak on Thursday at 5 p.m., while Ayala faces Anaheim Canyon on Friday at 5 p.m.
SUCCESSFUL COACHING DEBUTS
Six Inland coaches were victorious last week in debuts with their new programs.
Austin Jones, who was a star running back at USC, guided Lakeside to a 31-14 victory over Pomona. At 24, Jones is believed to be one of the youngest head coaches in the state.
Ernie Burries guided Pacific to a 42-7 victory over Nuview Bridge last week. It was a successful return for a program that was unable to field a varsity squad last season.
Etiwanda’s Paul Unga guided his alma mater to a 36-13 win over Grand Terrace in his debut.
Other coaches who were victorious in their first games were Redlands East Valley’s Kristian King (63-7 over California Military Institute), Rialto’s Darwin Henderson (25-13 over Ontario), and Western Christian’s Matt Hoekstra (56-6 over Workman).
Three other coaches will look to join that group this week when their teams open the season: Arroyo Valley’s Jesse Ceniceros, California School for the Deaf-Riverside’s Rob McArthur, and United Christian Academy’s Kyle Legere. McArthur is a familiar face to fans of realty TV. He and his son Corey competed together and finished third on the 35th season of “The Amazing Race.”
