Prep football: Noonan takes Estancia helm

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - As junior varsity coach at Danville-based Monte Vista

High in the mid-1990s, Jay Noonan became one of only five coaches since

1987, at any level, to lead a team to victory over national powerhouse De

La Salle of Concord.

Announced Wednesday as the new Estancia High football coach, Noonan

believes he can buck similar long odds by turning the Eagles into a

consistent playoff team in the Pacific Coast League.

“I’m aware of the state of the (Eagles’) program and it doesn’t daunt

me,” said Noonan, a former criminal lawyer who has taught high school the

past four years. “I’m excited and I think there is opportunity at

Estancia. From everything I’ve heard, these are good kids who like to

work hard and I’m looking forward to working with them.”

Despite a dearth of seniors -- including a handful of would-be

returning starters who skipped the recently completed spring drills -- as

well as a lack of success by lower-level teams the last few years,

Noonan, 41, believes the Eagles will soon become competitive.

“I have three goals,” said Noonan, a varsity assistant or lower-level

head coach at five high schools the last 12 years. “I want us to have a

winning record, make the playoffs and beat Costa Mesa.”

Noonan replaces Dave Perkins, who resigned last month after three

seasons to become head coach at crosstown rival Costa Mesa. The Eagles

were 7-4 and made the CIF Southern Section Division IX playoffs last

year. They were 14-17 in Perkins’ three seasons.

Noonan was one of three finalists for the Estancia job when Perkins

was hired and Boys Athletic Director Tim Parsel said he was the first

candidate to contact the school after Perkins moved on.

A San Clemente resident, Noonan will try to instill his enthusiasm

into the players, whom he will meet for the first time today at 2 p.m. on

campus.

“You can never replace a first impression,” said Noonan, who will

teach full time at Estancia, though his specific assignment is yet to be

determined. “I would hope to impress upon them that when faced with

choices in life, I’d want them to decide based on what they want to do,

not what they have to do. Young people should control their own destiny,

but I’d hate to think that in 10 or 15 years, they’d look back and regret

not (playing football). That would be tragic.”

Looking back at Noonan, he was a reserve at Bellarmine College Prep

High in San Jose in the late 1970s. He was a freshman walk-on for USC’s

national championship team in 1978, then shifted to coaching, working as

an aid to then-Trojan assistant Gil Haskell.

After graduating from USC and obtaining a law degree, he joined his

father’s criminal defense firm in Pleasanton.

He began his coaching career in the late 1980s at Granada High in

Livermore, where he spent five years. He then spent two years at Monte

Vista, the second as varsity defensive coordinator.

He was offensive coordinator in his only season at Mount Diablo High

in Concord, before moving to Orange County to spend two seasons (1997-98)

as defensive coordinator at Katella High. Included in that stint was the

Knights’ 27-19 nonleague victory over Estancia in ’97.

He was the varsity running backs coach the last two years under Jeff

Veeder at Capistrano Valley, where he pulled rare double duty as head

coach of the freshman team.

Noonan said his goal is to have five assistant coaches in place by

June 25, when he plans to start the summer session. Parsel said some of

those assistants may land teaching assignments at the school.

He was hesitant to divulge specific offensive and defensive systems,

until he has a chance to better assess his personnel.

“I can tell you have to be able to run the ball in high school

football, but I’m also a big Bill Walsh fan, so I like the West Coast

offense’s short passing game,” Noonan said.

“And on defense, we’ll run multiple fronts and try to put a lot of

pressure on our opponent.”

Before moving to San Clemente, Noonan lived on Balboa Island for four

years and he anticipates a long stay at Estancia.

“Estancia has always given me a very homey impression,” he said. “I

have no intention of using Estancia as a stepping stone. I think this is

a genuine opportunity to do something that can have an impact in the

community. I’m going to work very hard to put this program where I think

it should be, which is competing every year for a spot in the playoffs.”