Valbuena twins back at Estancia

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Kenny Valbuena, a second-team All-Pacific Coast League

quarterback, and his twin brother Danny, a tight end, have returned to

Estancia High from Fountain Valley High and will play football and

basketball for the Eagles.

The duo, both 6-foot-5, 220-pound juniors, transferred reluctantly to

Fountain Valley last spring when they went to live with their father,

Jim, in the Barons’ attendance area.

But Kenny, who said he was elevated to the starting quarterback role

during the summer, had been dropped to third on the depth chart since.

Kenny and Danny practiced Monday and Tuesday with the Barons, but began

working out Thursday for Coach Dave Perkins’ Eagles. They will reside in

Costa Mesa with their dad.

In addition, Steve Valbuena, the twins’ uncle, has joined Perkins’ staff

as a receivers coach.

“Fountain Valley wasn’t what I expected,” said Kenny, who completed 89 of

215 for 1,154 yards as a sophomore, when he started eight games for

Estancia.

Perkins said Kenny will have to compete with senior Jeremy Valdes for the

starting job. Kenny will also have to learn the new winged-T offensive

system Perkins has employed, a scheme which has suited Valdes’ mobility

in spring and summer drills.

Kenny, however, is a potential Division I prospect, who is eager to take

aim at some school passing records.

“(School records) have been in my mind all along,” Kenny said Thursday.

“We never wanted to leave Estancia in the first place.”

Said Perkins: “It’s just nice to have them back. We felt like they were

Eagles to begin with, so it’s more like they’ve just come back from

vacation.”

Danny, who was his brother’s favorite receiver when the two starred on

Estancia’s 1997 freshmen team, played sparingly at receiver as a

sophomore. Perkins would like to shift him to tight end, where no one has

stepped up to assume the starting role. Danny, however, said he would

play tight end, but would also like to play some at receiver.

Perkins has no timetable for when the twins might become starters.

“That will depend on their performance,” Perkins said. “I have a

responsibility to the kids who have been working hard at those

positions.”

Perkins said adding Steve Valbuena to the staff will relieve him of

having to coach the receivers.

“(Adding Steve) will help a lot, because its hard for the head coach to

coach a position and still do what he needs to do.”

The talented twosome’s return is also good news to Estancia basketball

coach Rich Boyce. Both Valbuenas started on last year’s junior varsity

and were among the team’s top three scorers. They are expected to contend

for significant varsity playing time this season.