Prep football: Tightened security

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The Estancia High football team’s ability to hang with

nonleague host Santa Ana Valley Saturday night began with the Eagles’

ability to hang on -- to the ball.

After fumbling 11 times the previous game, 15 times in their first two

contests this year, Eagle ball carriers failed to cough it up once

against the Falcons, who won, 27-24, at the Santa Ana Bowl.

Combined with junior quarterback Lewis Bradshaw third straight game

without an interception, the Eagles won the turnover battle, 5-0.

Interceptions by Mitch Valdes, Lewis Bradshaw, Nic Koreerat and Ryan

Grimes, a fumble recovery by Landon Pullizi, as well as 14 Falcon

penalties for 128 yards, helped the Eagles make a bid for the victory.

Prolific passing pickups of 57 and 40 yards by senior speed receiver

Nate Harriman, as well as a 32-yard touchdown run by Junior Tanielu,

helped keep the Eagles in the hunt.

But poor execution on conversions -- two point-after kicks failed, as

did a pair of two-point run attempts -- wound up being the difference

between victory and defeat.

Our No. 1 snapper is a little dinged up, so we went with someone

else,” Estancia Coach Jay Noonan said of the PAT struggles. And our

kickers are taking too long. We’re going to have to fix that this week.”

Missing conversions has been a problem all year, as Estancia has

converted just one of its eight tries (1 for 5 on kicks).

Ironically, another contributing factor to what Noonan called the

team’s best performance of the season, was Noonan’s decision to boot the

entire team out of practice Tuesday.

“Some kids were picking on a couple of kids and one of (the latter)

got upset about it,” Noonan said of the incident, which brought a quick

end to Tuesday’s practice.

“I had had enough, so I canceled practice. I told them to grow up and

come back (Wednesday), or don’t come back at all. They all came back. It

was a lesson in learning how to be mature.”

Noonan said the emotional week intensified Saturday, when word came

that former Estancia player Matt Colby, who transferred to Costa Mesa for

his senior year, had died of injuries sustained in the Mustangs’ game

with Ocean View Friday.

“Our kids were sad, very bummed,” Noonan said of his players’

emotional state before Saturday’s game. “But I think it was good for them

to have the outlet of playing a game. I thought they all kept their focus

very well.”

Noonan and his staff, which prepares to conclude its preleague

schedule Friday against Orange (1-3), will continue to focus on

improvement as the program’s primary goal.

“I was really proud of the way we played (Saturday) and thought we

improved 100% from our first two games,” Noonan said. “To go from

fumbling 11 times to earning a 5-0 edge in turnovers is obviously a huge

difference. We had a chance to win in the fourth quarter.”

The Eagles stayed with Valley by making big plays in the passing game,

as well as what Noonan termed “nickel and diming” on the ground.

“We were finally able to get our receivers in the game. We would have

had more (than six) completions, except Santa Ana Valley must have had

four or five pass interference of defensive holding calls. They were

pressing us (placing defensive backs close to receivers near the line of

scrimmage) and when our guys would run by them, they’d just grab our

jerseys.”

Noonan said his players were encouraged by the effort.

“It was our best game of the year, but we still have miles to go.”