Turnovers unravel Eagles

Richard Dunn

There’s a time and a place for everything, but unfortunately for

Estancia High’s football team, most things went host Century’s way in

the second half Friday night as the Centurions earned a 35-7

nonleague victory at Tustin High.

The Eagles (1-1), who won their season opener against Magnolia,

dominated Century in the game’s first series as the Estancia

offensive line blew the Centurions off the ball. Junior fullback

Bubba Kapko capped the nine-play, 80-yard drive with a 3-yard

touchdown run and it appeared the Eagles met business.

But Century’s defense shut out Estancia the rest of the game and

the Centurions took advantage of five turnovers to coast to the win

-- their first over an opponent other than Bolsa Grande in the last

three years.

Century (2-0), which responded with a touchdown on its first

offensive possession to tie matters, 7-7, opened the second half with

an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by senior co-captain Myles

Ramsey and Izic Fernandez booted his second of five PATs, giving the

Centurions a 14-7 edge.

On Estancia’s ensuing drive, it took only three plays for matters

to get worse for the visitors, as Alan Amasio, a 5-foot-10, 240-pound

linebacker, stepped in front of Estancia quarterback Lewis Bradshaw’s

pass on third down and returned an interception 31 yards to the end

zone.

So, without an offensive play, Century suddenly found itself

leading, 21-7, with 10:42 remaining in the third quarter.

After Estancia was forced to punt after three plays on its next

series, Century scored again, this time on a 42-yard touchdown pass

from quarterback Ronnie Rosas to 6-3, 264-pound tight end Hebron

Fangupo.

On first down, Rosas scrambled and rolled to his left, then found

Fangupo behind the defense. Fangupo caught the pass at the Estancia

26 and sprinted to the end zone untouched with 6:37 to play in the

third, giving the hosts a commanding 28-7 lead.

“That pick kind of turned it around, and (the Centurions) just

built from there,” Estancia Coach Jay Noonan said. “We moved the ball

real well in the first series, but then we fumbled the ball a couple

of times. We made too many mistakes and let a good football team back

in it. You can’t give a team momentum like that. We had our

opportunities. We had our chances. We just let them back in the

game.”

On the first play of the second quarter, Bradshaw rushed for 48

yards on a broken play, giving Estancia possession at the Century 39

with the game tied, 7-7. But two plays later the Eagles fumbled and

Century’s Vincent Valencia recovered at the Centurions’ 22.

Century, however, could not convert the game’s first turnover into

a score, and both teams eventually entered the halftime locker room

in a deadlock.

After Century scored three touchdowns in 5:09 in the third

quarter, Estancia was on the move again, this time behind junior

quarterback Brad Young, who completed 4 of 4 passes in the drive for

43 yards. But, as the Eagles edged inside the Century 30, they

fumbled again and the Centurions’ Nick Zuniga recovered.

On the last play of the third quarter, Century’s Daniel Lockington

sacked Bradshaw and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Valencia

at the Eagles’ 18 to set up another touchdown.

Two penalties on Century and a sack for a 4-yard loss by

Estancia’s Bryce McKendry pushed the Centurions back to the 21, but

on a third-down play, Rosas connected with Lockington on a touchdown

pass with 9:18 to play in the fourth quarter.

Century sacked Estancia quarterbacks five times for losses

totaling 47 yards.

Bradshaw, who accounted for 79 ground yards (despite two sacks

against him for minus-25 yards), completed 5 of 10 passes for 53 yards and caught three balls from Young for 26 yards.

“My hat’s off to Century,” Noonan said. “They played with a lot of

heart tonight.”