Fertig vows to return

Patrick Laverty

Prior to taking the Estancia High football coaching position, Craig

Fertig threw the idea out to some of his peers.

According to the former USC quarterback, Myron Miller, the former

Costa Mesa High coach and current leader at Tustin High, told him, “I

don’t worry about you coaching football again. I worry about you

getting frustrated, especially that first year.”

Though there were obvious frustrations, including Thursday’s

season-ending 61-7 loss to Pacifica at Newport Harbor High, Fertig is

planning on continuing to do what he knows best.

The Eagles coach said after Estancia’s sixth consecutive loss that

he would be back for the 2004 season.

“Oh, for sure,” Fertig said. “Once I commit to something ...

that’s what I want my players to do. We’re going to have a meeting

Monday and get ready for next year.”

Despite the losing streak to end the season, which included the

final three games by a combined score of 150-7 and allowing 61 points

to the Mariners (7-3), the second-highest total allowed in school

history, Estancia (3-7) did show improvement.

Under Fertig, a former head coach at Oregon State who has also

worked as an assistant at USC and as a scout for the Tampa Bay

Buccaneers, Estancia won three of its first four games. In the two

previous seasons combined, the Eagles had won one game.

“We’re trying to build a program and you can’t do it overnight,”

Fertig said.

But they can take lessons from teams like Pacifica, which

dominated from the opening kickoff. The Mariners, headed to the CIF

Southern Section Division IX playoffs as the Garden Grove League’s

No. 2 team, scored on all six possessions in the first half and

needed just 20 plays to score six touchdowns and take a 41-0 lead.

Pacifica averaged 12.3 yards per play in the first half. Senior

tailback Jaymes Franco rushed for 108 yards on eight carries and

scored three touchdowns and senior quarterback Brandon Harper

completed 8 of 10 passes for 118 yards and threw for two scores. Both

players did not return to the field in the second half.

The Eagles had just 79 yards of offense in the first half and

fumbled twice, both of which led to Mariners’ touchdowns.

Estancia finally broke through when junior Geo Macias took off

down the right sideline on a fake punt on fourth-and-two from

Estancia’s 24-yard line. Macias ran 76 yards for a touchdown with

3:43 remaining in the third quarter, breaking a scoreless drought of

more than 11 quarters for the Eagles.

Earlier in the game, Macias threw a pass to senior Kendall

Meissner for a 21-yard gain on another fake punt. The two fake punts

were the longest gains of the night for Estancia.

“I think I’ve learned something,” Fertig said with a smile. “We’re

going to lineup in punt formation on every down.”

The entire 2003 season has been a learning experience for both

Fertig and his players. Coaching high school for the first time has

been a challenge.

“A lot of these guys, their dads don’t trust them with the car

keys,” Fertig said. “It’s a whole lot different from college and the

pros.”

A large majority of those guys will be graduating and played their

final game Thursday. Fullback Bubba Kapko finished with 14 yards on

six carries. Tailback Mike Cahill added 31 yards on 10 carries.

Quarterback Brad Young completed 13 of 21 passes for 75 yards.

Receiver Noe Martinez caught two passes and returned two kickoffs

for more than 30 yards. Tight end Cullen Crom added three receptions

for 19 yards. Linemen Gary Jones, Landon Pulizzi, Yousif Muradian and

Chad Sherrell also played their final game.