Football: Eagles continue the road of hard knocks

Tony Altobelli

ORANGE - Coach Jay Noonan is correct when stating his Estancia High

football team has some offensive weapons.

It’s just a matter of getting the ball to them.

With Canyon defenders in the backfield quicker than a jackrabbit on a

date, the Eagles had little shot to let the weapons work for them in

Friday’s 57-13 nonleague loss to the host Comanches Friday night at El

Modena High.

“Despite the score, I still think we made some positive things happen

out there,” Noonan said. “Our offense was better than in our first game,

but like I said coming in, we can’t make mistakes against a veteran team

like Canyon. Needless to say, we made some early mistakes.

The Eagles (0-2) fumbled the ball 10 times in the first half (three

were recovered by Canyon) and 11 times overall, thanks mostly to the

lightning-quick Comanches’ defensive line, which broke up numerous

handoffs and passing situations before they even developed.

The Eagles’ first offensive play from scrimmage set the tone for the

evening. Estancia quarterback Lewis Bradshaw took a one-step drop after

taking the snap and was leveled before he could look up from the snap.

The Comanches recovered and four plays later, Donovan Lopez scored his

first of four rushing touchdowns for the game. He finished with 108 yards

on 11 carries.

The Eagles, when allowed time, had a couple of effective offensive

drives. Bradshaw connected on 9 for 17 passes for 111 yards and no interceptions. Paulo Tanielu was the Eagles’ leading rusher (49 yards on

10 carries), while Raymond Romua (28 yards, four carries) and Mitch

Valdes (24 yards, five carries) each scored touchdowns.

“We’re so young and I know these tough games will pay off when

(Pacific Coast) league rolls around,” Noonan said. “This is definitely a

work in progress, but I still think we’re going in the right direction.

These kids will continue to fight and they will not give up at any time.

I’m extremely proud of them for that.”

The Comanches (2-0-1) entered Friday night’s game leading all of

Orange County in scoring at 46 points per game and racked up 476 yards of

total offense on the Eagles. Quarterback Brad Lusk was 4 of 10 for 86

yards and two touchdowns. His TD passes found the hands of Jeff White and

Ryan Thompson for 32 and 18 yards, respectively.

“Canyon is definitely a team on the rise,” Noonan said. “That’s the

level we want to get to. We keep working hard, we’ll get there.”