Prep football: Eagles in scramble mode

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Estancia High Boys Athletic Director Tim Parsel said

it is extremely unlikely the school would hire a new football coach to

replace Dave Perkins, now at Costa Mesa High, in time for spring

practice.

Parsel, however, said a plan was in place to hire coaches, most likely

former Eagle football coaches who teach at Estancia, to supervise spring

drills, scheduled to begin May 21.

Parsel is required to advertise the varsity head-coaching opening

within the Newport-Mesa Unified School District for at least 10 days.

Even then, the pending involuntary transfers of teachers within the

district would need to be resolved before principals, in this case,

Estancia’s Tom Antal, could fill existing openings.

Parsel said he is optimistic the Eagles will have a new coach by “some

time early in the summer.” He said he had already received inquiries from

two potential candidates from outside the district, who had heard Perkins

was seeking the Costa Mesa job.

Estancia junior Bobby Arroyo, a first-team All-Pacific Coast League

inside linebacker last fall, said Perkins’ departure is a setback for the

program. Lacking established talent to replace top seniors scheduled to

graduate in June, the Eagles were already expected to finish in the lower

half of the PCL next season.

“The way I see it, right now, I think my senior year has pretty much

gone down the drain,” Arroyo said. “We’re going to have to wait to see

who our new coach is going to be and we’re going to miss out on a lot of

practices.”

Arroyo said he has heard talk among Estancia players about possibly

transferring, but said there is confusion about what requirements

prospective transfers would need to meet to be eligible to play elsewhere

next fall.

“I’ve thought about (transferring), but I’m not sure I’d be able to do

it,” Arroyo said.

Parsel has also heard rumors of a player exodus and said his focus,

beginning Monday, will be to “make sure people understand that football

is a high priority at Estancia.

“We’ll make every effort to convince all our student-athletes that

Estancia is the place for them,” Parsel added. “We hope we have enough to

offer them.”

Parsel, whose friendship with Perkins was instrumental in bringing him

to the school in the spring of 1997, said there is no ill will toward the

former coach, who guided the Eagles to a 14-17 record, including a 7-4

campaign and a postseason berth last fall.

“It’s not uncommon for coaches to move and you just deal with it the

best you can,” Parsel said. “The timing could have been better, but a

number of programs have had coaching changes in the spring.”

Parsel said he understands chasing an opportunity at another school

within the district. Parsel, in fact, is one of three Newport-Mesa boys

basketball coaches to move from one district school to another in

successive years. He coached at Costa Mesa the 1984-85 season, then

guided Newport Harbor the next year. He later moved to Estancia,

returning to coaching after several years away from the sport.

Parsel said he was reluctant to name the potential spring practice

coaching substitutes, since he had yet to finalize details with them.

However, former varsity coach John Liebengood and former freshman

coach Art Perry are on staff at Estancia and presumably would be

available to help out.

Neither Liebengood, nor Perry could be reached Saturday.

Parsel also said he may fill in, if needed.

This is the second time in four years the Eagles have been without a

coach mere days before spring practice.

Roy Scaffidi was hired to replace Liebengood March 2, 1998. But,

citing family responsibilities, resigned May 6, five days before the

scheduled start of spring drills.

Perkins was hired May 18 and, after quickly assembling a staff, began

spring workouts eight days later.