Prep football: Eagles’ new kids bullied

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The 2001 football season turned out to be rookie ball

at Estancia High, where first-year coach Jay Noonan and his staff, as

well as the Eagle players, endured a harsh 0-9 initiation.

In addition to Noonan and his assistants, faced with the difficult

task of implementing their system without the benefit of spring practice,

the Eagles’ personnel puzzle included more new faces than a “Mission:

Impossible” assignment.

Outgoing and incoming transfers, as well as the lack of virtually any

experienced returners, wound up creating a no-win situation.

In Thursday’s regular-season ending 17-6 loss to Laguna Beach, the

Eagles’ used 16 newcomers to fill their 22 starting spots on both sides

of the ball.

“This was a year comparable to teaching freshmen and junior varsity

players,” Noonan said. “Our kids had no choice but to grow up fast and,

by and large, they did a pretty good job. But we were getting beat on

four or five plays a game and those plays were usually big ones. When you

make mistakes at the freshman and JV levels, you can overcome them a lot

of times. But those same mistakes at the varsity level usually result in

points.”

The good news, however, is that many of those thrown into the

competitive fray this fall, will be back to eliminate a similar problem

next season.

In addition, Noonan, now firmly entrenched, will have nearly 10 months

to implement his offseason program.

Yet another plus, should occur with the move to the Golden West League

next season.

“I’m excited about the enthusiasm our kids have for next year,” Noonan

said. “If there was a highlight this year, it was the effort our kids

gave all season. I was very happy with the fact that everyone we played

said our kids played hard, played fair and were good sports. I think we

tried to give our fans their couple bucks worth.”

Noonan said his offseason weightlifting program will help eradicate

the strength deficit his team faced against all opposition this year.

“We had a lot of tools, physically, but we weren’t as strong at other

teams. And I expected us to be more mentally tough.”

Noonan singled out senior cornerback-receiver Jermaine Snell (a

team-high 23 receptions for 178 yards), junior quarterback-safety Lewis

Bradshaw (788 passing yards, eight touchdown passes and six rushing TDs),

linemen Matt Morrell, a junior, and Gary Jones, a sophomore, as well as

sophomore linebacker Bubba Kapko, as those who played at a consistently

high level.

He also said a handful of freshmen should be ready to contribute next

fall, when Estancia joins Costa Mesa in the Golden West League, along

with Westminster, Santa Ana, Saddleback, Ocean View and Orange.

“I’m certainly not expecting us to go in and dominate, but I expect it

to be a more equitable, competitive situation,” Noonan said.

In addition to becoming the second team in the school’s 37 varsity

seasons not to record a victory, this year’s unit established a record

for average points give up (35.8 per game). Only the 0-10 team in 1986

gave up more points (336) than this year’s Eagles surrendered in nine

games (322).

Senior Junior Tanielu finished the season as the Eagles’ leading

rusher with 424 yards on 94 carries. He also caught 18 passes, scored

five touchdowns and accumulated 677 yards from scrimmage.

Senior Nate Harriman was also an offensive catalyst with 22 receptions

for 365 yards.