Prep football: Perkins moves across town to Costa Mesa

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Dave Perkins, who guided the Estancia High football

team to only its second playoff berth in the last 11 seasons last fall,

has been named coach at crosstown rival Costa Mesa.

Perkins, 14-17 in three years at Estancia, bringing his prep

head-coaching record to 97-96-1 in 18 seasons at six schools, replaces

Jerry Howell, who resigned March 30 after six seasons.

“We’re going to be the hardest-working team in Orange County and we’ll

also have the most fun of anybody in Orange County,” Perkins, 49, said of

the Mustangs, whom his Eagles defeated the last two years in the annual

Battle for the Bell.

Costa Mesa saw its school-record string of four straight playoff

appearances interrupted last season, but is expected to contend for a

Pacific Coast League title next fall. The Mustangs will return around 10

players with starting experience, including second-team All-PCL running

back Nick Cabico. In addition, Mesa’s freshman team won the 2000 league

title and the 1999 freshman team contended for the PCL crown.

“If we did anything but make the playoffs, it would be a disappointing

season,” Perkins said of the 2001 campaign. “Meeting any goals beyond

that will depend on how quickly things will gel with a new offense,

defense and coaching staff.”

Perkins, chosen from a three-candidate pool within the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District (former Costa Mesa head coach Tom Baldwin, who

was both an offensive and defensive coordinator under Howell, as well as

Mesa assistant coach Kent Paul, were also interviewed), said he plans to

bring his entire Estancia coaching staff with him to Costa Mesa.

Bob Brockie will continue to coordinate the double flex defensive

scheme, while Perkins will coordinate the offense, a combination of the

wing T and the Fly.

Estancia assistants Bill Lux, a former standout quarterback at Costa

Mesa, as well as Jeremy Osso and Jesse Nuno, have all committed to

shifting to Mesa, beginning with spring practice. Osso and Nuno are

former Estancia players.

Perkins said Saturday he had not spoken to any of last year’s Mesa

assistants, but he would invite any of them to join his staff.

“I’m not looking for coordinators, but I’d be happy to have more

qualified assistants who could help out in other areas,” Perkins said.

Perkins plans to begin spring drills at Costa Mesa the week of May 21,

though he will not assemble a team on the field until he has coordinated

the transition with his staff.

“It’s going to be difficult, but I had practice at it, having done the

same thing when I came to Estancia,” Perkins said. “I know some of the

names of the Costa Mesa kids from playing against them the last couple

years. I know they have quite a few talented kids over there, which will

give us an opportunity to be very successful. I want to make sure I have

my staff in place and we’re all on the same page before we start

practice.”

Perkins said it was difficult to leave behind his players at Estancia,

but he believes Costa Mesa is a better situation.

“Basically, there’s a strong commitment to athletics at Costa Mesa,”

he said. “It seems like the Principal, Diana Carey, wants to have

top-notch programs and I know Kirk (Bauermeister, the boys athletic

director) has the same commitment.

“I think Estancia is really trying hard to gain ground and to get

better, but I think it falls short in a couple areas.”

“I wouldn’t say the athletes at Costa Mesa are better, but there is

more of them. There are a lot of good athletes at Estancia, but Costa

Mesa has more participating in their athletic programs. I’m looking

forward to not having 22 guys banging each other up (in practice) and not

having everyone go both ways.”

Perkins said he was unsuccessful in gaining more on-campus help at

Estancia.

“It was hard at Estancia, because I was pretty much a one-man show.

There was one on-campus coach hired to help me, but he only coached one

year.”

Perkins said it remains unclear whether his son, A.J. Perkins, a

backup quarterback who also saw time in the secondary last fall as a

junior, will transfer to Mesa for his senior year. A.J. played varsity

baseball the last two seasons and his dad was an Estancia assistant to

Doug Deats this season.

The elder Perkins denied accusations that he had spoken with other

Estancia players about following him to Mesa.

“People can believe what they want, but I haven’t even recruited my

own son,” Perkins said. “We will talk as a family and (A.J.) will decide

what is best for him. And I haven’t talked to any other kids at Estancia

(about transferring). First of all, I didn’t have the job and secondly,

it’s not my place to do that. It’s for parents to decide where they think

the best place for their kids is.”

A few Estancia players have reportedly talked about transferring, as

rumors swirled that Perkins would be moving across town. But, according

to Estancia Boys Athletic Director Tim Parsel, any Estancia

student-athlete who did not notify district officials by April 15 of

plans to transfer, would have to move to the Costa Mesa attendance area

to be eligible to play for the Mustangs.

Perkins taught physical education at Estancia, but will teach what he

called an opportunities class (overseeing students with attendance

problems) at Mesa. He acknowledges shifting loyalty to the other side of

the crosstown rivalry will present its own challenges.

“I’m hoping there’s not a lynch mob waiting for me when I meet with my

new players for the first time,” he said jokingly. “I might be walking

into the lions den, but hopefully, the kids will be open to change.”

Perkins, a Newport Harbor High graduate (Class of 1970), who coached

the Sailors sophomore team and spent three seasons as a Harbor varsity

assistant, became a varsity head coach at La Sierra in 1983. After five seasons there, he spent two years at Corona High, winning a CIF Southern

Section Division V championship in 1989. From there, he had a pair of

two-year stints at Redlands and Upland, before coaching five seasons at

San Bernardino.

He has taken seven teams to the CIF playoffs and is 8-6 in the

postseason. In addition to his section crown at Corona, he won a league

title his final season at San Bernardino.

“Dave has a track record of success wherever he has been and he has

great credentials,” Bauermeister said. “He’s an enthusiastic guy, a good

football coach, and he knows this community.”