Football: Eagles crash into Canyon

Tony Altobelli

NEWPORT BEACH - According to Coach Dave Perkins, school was in

session for the Estancia High football team Thursday night and visiting

Canyon slapped knuckles with rulers and passed out plenty of detention

slips in the Eagles’ 24-7 nonleague loss.

“We just got hammered on both sides of the ball, simple as that,”

Perkins said. “We weren’t that disciplined tonight, in large part to

Canyon. We played badly because Canyon played good.”

The Comanches broke open a close game in the third quarter thanks to

Darryl Parker’s two long touchdown runs, turning a 10-7 game into a 24-7

cushion.

Parker finished the night with 187 yards rushing on 11 carries with

two touchdowns, bringing the Eagles’ modest two-game winning streak to a

screeching halt.

“This was a good learning experience for us,” Perkins said. “We’ve got

to learn not to play to the level of our opponent. Last week, we played

above our opponent and we won. Tonight, we didn’t and we lost.”

One player that did play above the competition was senior Andy Romo,

who ran for 94 yards on 13 carries and had the game’s lone touchdown. He

also caught six passes for 62 yards and was the bulk of the Eagles’

offense.

“He’s a warrior, there’s no doubt it,” Perkins said. “He’s about 135

pounds soaking wet and he lays it all out there.”

Fullback Fahad Jahid also ran the ball well, rushing for 86 yards on

18 carries.

But it was Estancia’s passing game that was stopped by the Comanches,

holding the Eagles to only 73 yards in the air.

The Eagles’ offense resembled the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the opening

drive of the game.

Estancia (2-1) marched down the field on nine plays, covering 74

yards. The Eagles used powerful runs by Jahid, safe passing from

quarterback Kenny Valbuena (3 for 3 on the drive) and a big-time run from

Romo.

Romo broke through several tacklers and found the end zone on a

22-yard scamper, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

The key stat on that drive was that Estancia was 3 for 3 on third-down

conversions, keeping the drive alive.

Canyon got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter, using a

eight-play, 54-yard drive. Travis Tolly scored on a 5-yard run up the

middle, tying the game at, 7-7.

The score remained tied with two minutes left in the first half, until

a costly Estancia interception and a 45-yard return by Joe Medina gave

the Comanches (2-1) excellent field position.

With one second remaining before halftime, Ryan Keys booted a 29-yard

field goal and gave the Comanches the lead for good.

“We weren’t prepared as well as we should have been and I’ll take full

responsibility for that,” Perkins said. “I guess I have to do a better

job of coaching to get these guys to the level we need to be.”

The Eagles defense tightened up early in the second half with big hits

coming from Jahid, senior David Rodriguez and senior Cesar Romero.

Estancia’s best offensive drive came on its first drive of the second

half. Big 20-yard runs from Romo and Jahid helped the Eagles move from

its own 10-yard-line down to the Comanches’ 34.

But the drive stalled and the Eagles were forced to punt.

That’s when Parker took over. On Canyon’s next possession, he busted

through nearly untouched for a 72-yard touchdown, stretching the

Comanches’ lead to, 17-7.

“We had troubles blocking and tackling,” Perkins said. “Most of the

time, it all comes down to the basics and that’s what we’ll work on this

week.”

Following another stalled Eagles drive, Parker broke free again, this

time for a 53-yard touchdown, putting the game away.

Junior A.J. Perkins, son of Coach Dave Perkins came in late in the

game and completed a couple of passes for 27 yards in his varsity debut.

“He didn’t do too bad,” Dave Perkins said of his son. “Fortunately,

he’s better athlete than his old man ever was.”