MISSION VIEJO — The Capistrano Valley football team used a herculean effort by quarterback Tommy Acosta to defeat Western 35-25 on Friday night at Capistrano Valley High.

Acosta threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown as the Cougars improved to 5-1 overall by winning its Delta League debut.

“I thought he did a good job spreading the ball around and managing the game,” Capistrano Valley coach Sean Curtis said. “there were some good pockets provided by the O-line, so (Acosta) had some time. The receivers have been itching to get the ball and he does a good job of keeping them all happy.”

Three different receivers scored for Capo Valley. Talon Spencer had six catches for 123 yards and a score, Hudson Campbell had 105 yards and a touchdown catch and Kaden Hunter scored two touchdowns to go with 88 yards receiving.

Western took the opening drive to the Capo Valley 8-yard line but was unable to get any points on the board.

The Pioneers (3-3, 0-1) opened the scoring when Chance Thomas connected with Maxwell Young on a 22-yard reception that saw Young beat double coverage and come down with the ball for the 6-0 lead.

Thomas had 329 yards passing and three touchdowns and Young was his favorite target. Young caught nine passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard TD that brought the Pioneers within 10 points.

Western also had huge contributions from wide receiver Christian Rojas (three receptions, 102 yards, TD) and running back Malachi Alatorre, who who ran for 101 yards and a score.

The Cougars got a crucial touchdown catch from Izaiah Bennett just before halftime and also scored to open the second half with a 23-yard pass from Acosta to Spencer.

“Luckily we won the toss because we wanted our defense to go first and have the ball to start the second half,” Curtis said. “We knew if we could get an extra possession going into halftime that would be huge against this offense.”

The only turnover of the game proved to be a costly one.

The Pioneers were down 28-18 late in the third quarter and driving downfield when Alatorre was hit by Ryan Kron, who jarred the ball loose for Reily Walker to recover.

“Ryan (Kron) came in and made a big play,” Curtis said. “Their #32 (Alatorre) is awesome, he’s a great player and I don’t know if he’s even fumbled at this point in the season. So for Ryan to come in and punch the ball out for us to recover was a big play in the game.”

Western coach Dan Davidson confirmed that it was a rare turnover by Alatorre.

“Malachi hasn’t fumbled since the semifinals in his sophomore year,” Davidson said. “It was the first time he’s put it on the ground (this season), and it was a big turnaround and they got some momentum from that.”

The Cougars used that turnover to pull away. Acosta found Hunter for a 37-yard TD strike that made the score 35-18.

Western answered with a scoring drive that was sparked by Thomas’ scrambling ability. Thomas got the Pioneers to the 2 but took a big shot as he attempted to slide just before the goal line.

Alatorre finished the drive with a 2-yard run and Noah Giddens replaced Thomas for the remainder of the game after that big hit.

The Cougars defense collected six sacks on the night as they were pressuring Thomas for most of the contest.

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