Estancia stockpiled and ready for success

Bryce Alderton

Some Estancia High boys soccer players will encounter a mild

change in scenery this season when they step on the field -- a

mix-and-match of sorts.

The changes involve finding a “team chemistry that works right,”

said Estancia Coach Steve Crenshaw, in his eighth season.

“A lot of kids have played the positions before, but just played a

different position for us last year,” Crenshaw said.

The Eagles return 12 varsity players from a year ago when Estancia

went 5-13-1, 2-7-1 in the Pacific Coast League.

Five players will traverse the turf at different positions than

last season, including senior goalkeeper Sergio Madrigal (converted

defender), senior midfielder Eli Navarrete (defense last year), team

captain and senior forward Javier Millan (from midfield), junior

midfielder Luis Mendoza (forward) and senior forward Victor Cruz

(defense).

Mendoza, Navarrete, Madrigal and Millan will start along with

senior midfielder Ricardo Avila, senior defender Rodrigo Duarte,

senior defender Abdul Kaiyum (recovering from a groin pull dating

back to cross country season), senior defender Sergio Vivar, senior

forward Jason Cassidy (a standout golfer) and junior midfielder

Quiroga Campos.

“Millan should be our leader and has exceptional ability,”

Crenshaw said. “He has to adjust to being a finisher and taking the

ball to the goal himself. Mendoza is very capable of handling the

ball and distributes it well to create a lot of opportunities.

(Mendoza) is the most consistent of any of the players on the field.”

Mendoza is the younger brother of Esaul Mendoza, the 2000 CIF

Southern Section Division IV Player of the Year. Esaul scored 46

goals that season to he help lead Estancia to the CIF Division IV

title.

Estancia’s reserves are no strangers to varsity competition,

Crenshaw said.

Senior midfielder Javier Ramirez, senior defender Chris Cacho,

senior forward/midfielder Aaron Van Geem, Cruz, senior midfielder

Fidel Gomez, junior defender Alfonso Torres, junior forward Noe

Martinez, junior forward/midfielder Lucio Gutierrez, junior defender

Eduardo Bahena, sophomore forward/defender Geo Macias, and junior

goalkeeper Eddie Rubalcava give Crenshaw many weapons to choose from.

“Macias should get a lot of playing time once he gets soccer legs

going,” Crenshaw said. “He’s a good athlete.”

Macias is making the transition from football and Van Geem ran

cross country in the fall.

“(Van Geem) just runs and runs and runs, like the Energizer

bunny,” Crenshaw said. “He’s my got-to guy if I need to run somebody

to death.”

Another player Crenshaw expects big things from is Narciso

Lumbreras.

“He plays real hard and never quits,” Crenshaw said. “He is an

intelligent player who will see a lot of quality time this year.”

A new season brings a change of league for the Eagles (1-1 as of

Thursday).

But Crenshaw has scheduled teams such as Costa Mesa, Saddleback

and Santa Ana over his eight years at Estancia, so he is used to

competing against the teams now in the Golden West League.

“We’re trying to get comfortable with each other, develop and

survive the preseason,” Crenshaw said. “Every team we play with the

exception of one (in the preseason) is a candidate for a league

championship.”

Crenshaw likes his team’s chances.

“I think we have to be considered possible contenders (for a

league championship),” Crenshaw said.