Anaheim shocks Estancia

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - That’s why the game is played on the field and not in

the stats book.

For Estancia High Coach Dave Perkins there were many reasons for the

Eagles’ 21-12 loss to Anaheim Friday night at Orange Coast College,

snapping the Colonists’ 24-game losing streak, but only one stands out.

“That’s high school football for you,” he said, shaking his head.

“That’s what happens when you come into a game not mentally prepared to

go to battle.”

For the Eagles (3-1) it was a total opposite showing of their previous

three weeks, where they dominated the time of possession and minimized

their mistakes.

“We had one turnover in our first three games and tonight, it seemed

like we were handling a hot potato out there,” Perkins said. “Not to take

anything away from Anaheim. They played a great game and they came in

here wanting to win.”

The Eagles and an interception, three fumbles (none lost), 10

penalties for 95 yards and lost an additional 28 yards on quarterback

sacks.

“It seemed like we were constantly first and 15, first and 25, second

and 20,” Perkins said.

For Anaheim Coach Allen Carter, it was a win that was long overdue for

his players.

“Of course I’m happy for the victory, but I’m even more happy for our

players,” said Carter. “They’ve been working hard all season and they

deserve it.”

David Lopez rushed for 133 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown for

Anaheim.

Matt Mueller had a solid game running for the Eagles, rushing for 61

yards on 10 carries.

The Colonists (1-3) did a great job of containing the explosive back,

Marshall Hendricks.

Despite scoring both Eagles touchdowns, Hendricks managed only 102

yards of total offense and was held behind the line of scrimmage five

times.

After the Eagles turned the ball over on downs, Anaheim marched 68

yards on 10 plays and scored on a 19-yard touchdown run by Sergio

Martinez.

The Eagles, who were inside Colonists territory the first three out of

four times in the first half, could only muster six first-half points as

Hendricks took it in from two yards out with just over a minute remaining

in the first half.

“They managed to make the big play when they needed to and we couldn’t

tonight,” Perkins said. “They did a lot of good things out there and they

capitalized on our mistakes.”

After Hendricks made a touchdown-saving tackle on the second-half

kickoff at midfield, a 15-yard penalty put the Colonists on the Eagles’

35-yard line to start.

Anaheim’s biggest play of the night came on a fourth-down and 10 when

quarterback Ryan Paterson hooked up with Oscar Mateo with a 25-yard

completion.

Three plays later, Paterson scored from 1-yard out to extend Anaheim’s

lead to 14-6.

Both teams’ defenses tightened up in the third quarter, before Anaheim

broke through again, this time on a 4-yard touchdown run by Lopez,

capping off a seven-play, 45-yard drive, making the score 21-6.

The Eagles scored on the following 67-yard drive, but they had to 96

yards to score, due to penalties. The drive took a valuable 5:14 off the

fourth quarter clock and when the two-point try failed, Estancia was

still down two scores, 21-12.

Lopez, who gained 84 of his 133 yards in the second half, ground out a

couple of first downs and the Colonists ran out the clock.

“Keep in mind, we won only one game last year,” Perkins said. “These

kids are still learning how to win. I think we’re gonna come back with a

vengeance next week.”

Next up for the Eagles is Santa Ana Valley Thursday at 7 p.m. back at

Orange Coast College.

“We’ll see what were made of this week, that’s for sure,” Perkins

said.