Estancia falls short in last game

Richard Dunn

It was the Battle of the Basement Birds in Friday night’s Golden

West League football finale between host Estancia High’s Eagles and

Ocean View’s Seahawks, and, as suspected, things were flying

everywhere.

In the end, the Seahawks had a few more feathers to get airborne

behind 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior quarterback Alexander Hickerson as

they defeated Estancia, 26-19, at Orange Coast College.

Coach Jay Noonan’s Eagles (1-9, 0-6 in league), who tried to match

the Seahawks’ air attack with junior quarterback Brad Young, stayed

close the entire way, but Estancia turnovers keyed Ocean View’s first

Golden West victory.

“Hopefully,” Noonan said, “next year will be our year.”

With Ocean View (2-8, 1-5) holding a slim 8-6 edge late in the

first half, the Eagles were driving at midfield, but they fumbled in

the closing moments and it proved costly as Ocean View’s Ryan Morejon

scooped up the loose ball and traveled 47 yards to paydirt with 0:56

left to give the visitors a 13-6 lead before intermission.

“Obviously, that play right there turned the whole thing around,

because we went back and forth with them,” Noonan said.

Estancia dominated time of possession in the first half

(14:45-9:15) and second half (14:04-9:56), but Ocean View’s prospect

at quarterback, who heaved one ball no less than 60 yards on a pass

that was dropped, provided the difference as the Seahawks finished

out of the Golden West basement.

Hickerson completed 12 of 22 passes for 251 yards and three

touchdowns -- and had several balls dropped.

“He’s a good-looking quarterback,” Noonan said. “He’s a big kid

and he took advantage of our corners, who are not real big. But we

left it all on the field and I’m looking forward to the off-season

and getting ready for next year.”

Estancia opened the game with a successful onsides kick, recovered

by Bobby Estrada at the Ocean View 45, but the Eagles couldn’t do

anything with it as they punted after three downs.

Estrada, however, intercepted a deep pass on the ensuing series

and returned it 20 yards to the Seahawks’ 38, setting up the game’s

first score.

On fourth-and-eight at the Ocean View 24, senior wide receiver

Louis Valdes Jr. came up with a sensational one-handed catch over the

middle, beating Ocean View’s Hue Lam, before landing on the 1-yard

line. After an Estancia penalty (illegal motion), Estrada scored on a

6-yard touchdown run with 5:35 left in the first quarter, giving the

hosts a 6-0 lead. The Eagles finished with 10 penalties for 108

yards, while the Seahawks were flagged 10 times for 131 yards.

Ocean View stormed right back after Estancia’s initial score.

Shawn Kim, the Seahawks’ talented senior receiver, grabbed a ball out

of the air after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Kim sprinted

down the sideline, broke a tackle at the 20-yard line and completed a

55-yard touchdown pass with 3:18 left in the first half.

Ocean View went for a two-point conversion and made it on a

Hickerson run.

Late in the second quarter, Ocean View faced a fourth-and-one at

the Estancia 40, but a perfectly thrown Hickerson pass over the

middle was dropped by a Seahawk receiver, who had a clear path to the

end zone.

Estancia took over with 1:38 left in the first half, and, after a

2-yard gain on a run, the Eagles called timeout to stop the clock.

After an incomplete pass, Estancia fumbled on its next play and the

Seahawks returned it for the difference-making touchdown.

In the third quarter, Hickerson connected with Rick Sweetin on a

fade to the back corner of the end zone, resulting in an 11-yard

touchdown pass with 2:04 remaining. The play was set up by

Hickerson’s 25-yard pass to Justin Roth on the previous snap.

Estancia, though, came back again. On the Eagles’ first play,

senior Lewis Bradshaw, a former quarterback, fired a strike to Geo

Macias on a halfback option. Bradshaw was hit hard after the throw,

but completed the pass to Macias, who caught it at the Ocean View 20

and carried it to the 5. Two plays later, junior fullback Bubba Kapko

scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 0:55 on the clock.

Ocean View scored again in the fourth quarter, when running back

Aaron Gonya took a screen pass and turned it into a 45-yard

touchdown, after breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage.

The Seahawks led, 26-13.

Estancia’s final drive of the game finished in a touchdown as Javy

Ramirez capped the series with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Young,

who completed 14 of 25 throws for 120 yards. On the drive, the Eagles

were aided by three defensive pass interference calls on Ocean View,

totaling 45 yards.