Relatores’ Late Score Helps Troy Win, 40-38 : Football: Warriors’ victory offsets Chatman’s five touchdowns for Costa Mesa.

NEWPORT BEACH —  There is something about Troy playing Costa Mesa that brings out the best in both teams. Apparently, that is also true of their backfields.

With three of the county’s top 20 runners--and a fourth who couldn’t play--both teams pounded away at each other until Troy’s Ryl Relatores scored with 16 seconds left to give the Warriors a 40-38 nonleague victory Friday at Newport Harbor.

Relatores’ final score put an end to awesome performances by him, teammate Larry Montgomery and Costa Mesa’s Charles Chatman. Another, DeWayne Crenshaw, missed his second game in a row; last week sat out because of a hamstring injury. He was suspended after getting in a fight at school Friday.

Crenshaw will be back next week when Costa Mesa (3-1) plays Santa Ana. But it would have been hard for Crenshaw to top Chatman, who rushed 40 times for 269 yards and five touchdowns in a losing effort.

Chatman’s performance was almost enough for the Mustangs, but they were equally unable to contain Relatores and Montgomery.

Relatores, a senior, rushed 17 times for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Montgomery carried 14 times for 156 yards and three touchdowns.

It was another suspenseful game between the two teams. Troy (3-1) has won the last three meetings--42-35 in 1992, and 14-13 last year when Costa Mesa fell short on a two-point conversion late in the game.

This game, too, was decided at the end. Chatman gave Costa Mesa a 38-33 lead with 2:11 left when he went 54 yards on a trap to the left. The two-point conversion attempt failed when Joey Archuletta was stopped by the Troy defensive front.

Montgomery returned the ensuing kickoff 19 yards to the Warrior 43. Two plays later, Relatores went 43 yards and was tackled at the nine by Costa Mesa defensive back Brian Reeves. On third down from the two, Relatores went behind right tackle, unmolested. Eric Urban kicked the extra point.

Costa Mesa got a final chance from its 32. Ryan Taylor, who completed one of seven passes, threw downfield to group of receivers; the ball was tipped in the air and intercepted.

“We kept in there when we could have dropped our heads,” Relatores said. “Now we know we can play with anyone.”

Costa Mesa is ranked third in the State Division III, according to Cal-Hi Sports. And it would have been pretty easy for either team to drop its head. There were seven lead changes in the game, including four in the fourth quarter. Troy had taken a 33-32 lead with 4:37 to go on Montgomery’s 40-yard run, a bit of redemption for his two fumbles--one of which led to Costa Mesa’s first touchdown.

“I think we scored too quick,” Troy Coach John Turek said of Montgomery’s score. “Chatman is a fine running back, but I think the world of our two backs, too.”