Prep football: Crosstown connection

Barry Faulkner

SANTA ANA - The Estancia High football team ventures to the Santa

Ana Bowl Saturday night, where it will collide with Santa Ana Valley for

a 7 o’clock kickoff.

But this nonleague contest will have a definite Costa Mesa flavor, as

former Costa Mesa High head coach Tom Baldwin and former Mesa defensive

coordinator Chuck Decker are members of Valley Coach Eddie Steward’s

staff.

Baldwin, who coached Steward at Santa Ana High and Decker at Santa Ana

Valley, coordinates a defense that reflects his aggressive approach.

“They make no bones about it,” Estancia Coach Jay Noonan said. “They

want to come after you, pressure you and chase you around.”

The Eagles (0-2) are chasing improvement after falling to Magnolia,

35-12, and Canyon, 57-13 in its first two contests.

Noonan’s has exhibited its lack of experience by fumbling 15 times in

two games, losing five, and yielding big plays with defensive miscues.

“Defense is where our most significant mistakes are being made,” said

Noonan, who will try to improve his players’ focus by asking fewer to

play both ways.

“We’re trying to eliminate two-way players, or at least create

less-defined two-way roles,” Noonan said.

To that end, junior quarterback Lewis Bradshaw, who started the first

two games at defensive end, will concentrate on offense.

The development of Bradshaw, who had no previous experience at

quarterback, has been a been one of the positives thus far for Eagles. He

has completed 15 of 32 passes for 157 yards and has not been intercepted.

He also continues to improve on making reads in the option attack.

Senior Junior Tanielu leads the Estancia ground gainers with 106 yards

on 19 carries, while fellow senior back Raymond Romua has scored on 20%

of his 10 carries, covering 42 yards.

Mitch Valdes leads the receiving corps with five catches for 34 yards,

while speedster Nate Harriman, who missed the Magnolia game while his

transfer from Texas was being approved by CIF Southern Section officials,

had four catches for 85 yards against Canyon.

Valdes and Harriman will be joined by senior Jermaine Snell in the

Eagles new three-receiver set. They will no longer feature a tight end.

Defensively, the Eagles continue to shuffle the lineup. Joey Mueller,

Eric Anderson and Chad Sherril, all of whom joined the team after school

started, figure to see significant time on defense, according to Noonan.

Sherril, a sophomore who played for the Eagles freshman team last

fall, is slated to start at inside linebacker for Mario Macias, who is

out with what is believed to be a concussion.

Mueller, who played last year, and Anderson, a recruit from the

basketball team, are part of a four-man rotation at defensive end.

The Estancia defense will be challenged by a Falcons’ spread offense.

Senior quarterback James Burgueno, who threw for more than 1,500 yards

as a junior, including a 230-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 35-28

triumph over the playoff-bound Eagles, is a talented trigger man. He has

completed 47 of 73 for 397 yards and one TD this season, but has been

intercepted five times.

“(Burgueno) likes to launch it deep,” Noonan said.

Junior Cliff Mason is the Falcons’ leading ground gainer. The

5-foot-9, 190-pound running back has gained 344 yards and scored two TDs

on 53 carries.

Among Burgueno’s favorite receiving targets has been senior Robert

Hawkins, who caught nine passes for 95 yards the first two weeks.

Valley (2-1) defeated Santiago in its opener, 12-6, lost to unbeaten

Fullerton, 21-7, then outscored Saddleback, 30-20, last week.