PREPSPORTS: Eagles won’t quit

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - Jay Noonan, the first-year coach of the Estancia

High football team, knows there is room for improvement after his Eagles

went through a scrimmage with Long Beach-based Cabrillo Friday at Newport

Harbor. But, Noonan also realized an aspect of Estancia which made him

proud. This season, the Eagles won’t quit, Noonan said.

And if two players illustrated Noonan’s notion, they were running

back/defensive back Junior Tanielu and quarterback/defensive end Lewis

Bradshaw.

“(Tanielu) exemplifies what this team is all about, we just don’t

quit,” Noonan said of the running back who finished with six carries for

35 yards and a 5-yard touchdown. “(Bradshaw) is a fighter. We don’t have

any quitters on this team.”

Late into the scrimmage, Bradshaw was bowled over on a block in which

he lost his helmet as the Jaguars scored on a 25-yard run. But, on the

ensuing play, Bradshaw tackled a Cabrillo running back for a 6-yard loss

on a pitchout.

Still, Noonan said there is need for improvement before the Eagles

duel Magnolia Thursday at Newport Harbor at 7 p.m.

Bradshaw, who Noonan said is still learning the offense, appeared to

have too much adrenaline and overthrew most of his passes. Estancia wide

receiver Nate Harriman consistently got open, but Bradshaw either

overthrew or underthrew him. Most of the time, Bradshaw had hardly any

time to throw. On two of the Eagles’ passing plays, Bradshaw was knocked

down on two-step drops.

“He was better than he was yesterday,” Noonan said of the Newport

Harbor transfer. “And he’ll be even better tomorrow.”

The Eagles and the Jaguars began the scrimmage with seven-on-seven as

each team completed two series of five plays.

Neither team scored, but Mitch Valdes made the first tackler miss on

both of his receptions. Bradshaw tried to hit Harriman deep after a

stop-and-go route on the Eagles’ first play, but incidental contact

knocked the receiver down and the pass fell incomplete.

When the teams went into a full scrimmage, the Eagles began on defense

and the Jaguars scored on their second play, a 49-yard touchdown run off

of a delay handoff.

Later in the 10-play series, Cabrillo scored again, this time a

29-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles actually ran 12 plays with their first offense. They ran

the ball 11 times and the longest run came from Bradshaw, a 15-yard

option keeper.

Estancia allowed another touchdown on its next defensive series as

Cabrillo (1-9 last year) scored on a 3-yard run. The Jaguars almost had a

30-yard touchdown run, but Sean Harriman made a saving tackle.