Honors: Day Mesa’s Boys Athlete of the Year

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Louis Day, who starred in football, soccer and track

and field during the 2000-01 school year before graduating Thursday, has

been named Costa Mesa High Boys Athlete of the Year.

Day, who displayed equal prowess in all three sports, began his prep

swan song by starting both ways for Coach Jerry Howell’s football team.

The slender 6-foot-3, 170-pounder led the Mustangs in tackles from his

inside linebacker spot and his propensity for big hits earned him a

reputation for mayhem usually afforded much bigger players.

In addition to his defensive duty, he played both tight end and wide

receiver, collecting 10 receptions for 192 yards. His catches were third

most on the team.

He was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League selection, one of two

Mustangs so honored by the league coaches, and also was named to the

All-Newport-Mesa District Dream Team on defense.

He then transitioned to soccer, playing for his father, Eugene, who

moved up after five years coaching the frosh-soph team to debut as

varsity coach. The double-Day combination helped the Mustangs earn the

first league championship in school history.

Mesa blanked seven Pacific Coast League opponents and lost only two

league games, en route to a 14-6-1 overall record that also included the

Magnolia Tournament title.

The Mustangs advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section

Division IV playoffs, where they were eliminated in penalty kicks by

Bishop Montgomery. It was the program’s first postseason appearance since

1991.

Louis Day, used primarily as a midfielder, earned second-team

All-Pacific Coast League recognition.

Day spent the spring competing for the track and field team, where his

specialty was field events.

He won the Pacific Coast League long jump crown with a personal-best

mark of 19-11 at league finals. He competed in the CIF Division III

preliminaries, but failed to advance.

Day lettered in all three sports as a junior.

In football, he had a team-leading 12 receptions for 130 yards to help

the Mustangs share the Pacific Coast League crown and finish with an 8-3

record.

His junior soccer season included second-team All-PCL recognition.

Day will continue his education at Cal State Fullerton, where he does

not plan to compete in athletics.