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.
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