Eagles very, very hungry

Barry Faulkner

Estancia High football practice, which began Monday with the first

of three conditioning days, is virtually a catored affair this

season.

Thanks to the efforts of parents and some local restaurants, Coach

Jay Noonan’s Eagles conclude each of their full days of workouts,

meetings and weightlifting with a team meal at 4:15 p.m.

We start with conditioning from 8-10, then have our defensive

practice from 10-noon,” said Noonan, beginning his second season at

the Eagles helm with his typical optimism. “We have lunch from

noon-1, then practice special teams from 1-2. We work on offense from

2-4, then we sit down and eat as a team. We have burgers (Monday),

Tuesday and Thursday is pizza and Wednesday and Friday we have

Mexican food.”

Noonan said the meals help team bonding and are also a fun way to

end the day’s activities.

The Eagles, however, are hungriest for success this fall, after

enduring an 0-9 campaign in 2001. Noonan, hired after spring practice

last season, which forced him to virtually start from scratch in the

fall, said having a full spring and summer program has put this

year’s group way ahead of last year’s.

The Eagles, being guided by an almost totally new coaching staff,

hope to continue that learning process as they prepare for the Sept.

13 opener against Magnolia.

After three days in helmets, T-shirts and shorts, the team will

don full pads Thursday and work against one another, until squaring

off against Laguna Beach and Whittier Christian in a three-way

scrimmage scheduled Sept. 5.

Noonan said practices the next three days will resemble the team’s

workouts in full pads.

“The only thing we’re not doing is live tacking,” said Noonan, who

welcomed 60 players, more than double last year’s squad, to Monday’s

opening day.