Movers and shakers

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACHPlenty of off-season scuttlebutt devoted to

Newport-Mesa District high school football had to do with players

transferring from Costa Mesa, Estancia and Corona del Mar. After one week

of the 1999 season, however, it’s the players who transferred in who have

created a buzz.

Estancia’s Marshall Hendricks, who played last season at Edison High,

exploded for four touchdowns, 218 rushing yards and intercepted two

passes in the Eagles’ surprisingly easy 35-0 romp over Magnolia.

Across town at Costa Mesa, C. J. Zuniga, a junior tailback playing

varsity for his third school, rushed for 172 yards and scored four TDs to

spearhead the Mustangs’ 28-19 triumph over a Saddleback team which

figures to make the CIF playoffs.

No less than three district schools had transfers take snaps at

quarterback in Week 1. Corona del Mar’s Matt Moore (Santa Margarita) is

firmly entrenched as the starter and no one would be surprised to see

Estancia’s Kenny Valbuena (who spent the spring and summer at Fountain

Valley before returning to the school he played at last fall) or Newport

Harbor’s Brian Gaeta (Edison) emerge as their school’s offensive trigger

man by the time league play begins.

Q

Speaking of quarterbacks, no one who saw Costa Mesa senior Dave Weir

throw strikes against the Saddleback secondary should argue that his

passing capabilities aren’t almost as impressive as everything else he

does on a football field.

Q

As one who votes in CIF Southern Section and Orange County football

polls, Week 1 traditionally provides a foundation with which to compare

teams, even if by the inexact science of comparative scores.

As it relates to Newport-Mesa schools, early returns from elsewhere in

the Pacific Coast and Sea View leagues should inspire the locals to keep

working hard.

In the PCL, University, with an impressively close 17-7 setback to

Irvine, appears capable of injecting itself into league title

consideration.

Laguna Beach thumped La Quinta, 49-7, and figures to build more

confidence against a less-than-imposing preleague schedule. I’ll reserve

judgment on whether the Artists are a playoff team, but 49 points is the

most they’ve scored during the Clinton Administration.

All five Sea View teams tasted victory, making it the only undefeated

circuit in Orange County.

While Irvine and Woodbridge (a 21-20 winner over Pacifica) were less than

overwhelming, newcomers Laguna Hills (34-0 over Jurupa Valley) and Aliso

Niguel (24-14 over Capistrano Valley) appear better than many, including

me, was willing to concede.

Q

As happy as I was to see former Newport Harbor boys basketball coach Bob

Serven land at Costa Mesa during the off-season, I’d be equally elated to

see former Mesa baseball head man Doug Deats fill the current vacancy at

Estancia.

Estancia Boys Athletic Director Tim Parsel said the position will be

officially advertised within the district -- a mandatory step which

precedes interviewing candidates -- as early as next week.

Parsel said he would like to dangle a teaching position to entice

prospective candidates, but any teaching openings would likely not occur

until the end of the first semester. The goal is to avoid a walk-on.

Should a teaching opening not free up, Jeremy Osso, an Estancia graduate

who has coached baseball and football at the school, would become a

viable option.

Estancia football coach Dave Perkins, whose son, A.J., played varsity

baseball as a freshman last spring, and who has a strong baseball

background, is another option. His involvement, however, would most

likely be as an assistant, possibly to Osso.

Q

Valued boys varsity basketball assistant Rusty Van Cleave has left the

Estancia program and will work next season at Santa Margarita.

Junior varsity coach Russ King will move up to assist Rich Boyce next

season, leaving an opening yet to be filled on the JV level.

Q

One of the biggest smiles witnessed during the Costa Mesa football team’s

post-victory celebration Friday at Orange Coast College belonged to 1999

Mustang graduate and first-year assistant coach P.J. Stangl.

Stangl, Mesa’s starting center last fall, also displayed some unexpected

speed as he raced down the sideline to cheer a 56-yard Zuniga TD run in

the closing minutes.