Two-minute drill

The winner of the Estancia High-Costa Mesa football game gets to keep

the perpetual Victory Bell trophy until the next meeting and is

treated to a dinner at Newport Rib Company.

Coincidentally, the referee for Friday’s game was Fran Ursini, one

of the owners of the restaurant.

“I told our kids before the game to be extra nice to the guy in

the white hat because we want him serving us ribs after the game,”

Estancia Coach Criag Fertig said.

Estancia won, 18-13, to earn the right to keep the bell and enjoy

the free dinner.

* The Corona del Mar High defense faced several different looks in

the Laguna Beach High backfield during the Sea Kings’ 35-8 Pacific

Coast League football victory at Laguna Beach Friday.

The Breakers, at various times, used four different quarterbacks.

In addition, Jesse Toscano, wearing jersey No. 73 and listed as a

6-foot-1, 240-pound offensive and defensive lineman in the program,

lined up in the backfield and had 12 rushing carries for 43 yards.

One of Laguna’s quarterbacks was senior Talan Torriero, who may be

familiar to MTV viewers as a cast member on the network’s reality

series “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.”

Torriero left the game midway through the second quarter with what

appeared to be an injured right ankle and watched the second half in

street clothes from the sideline on crutches.

* Estancia’s Battle for the Bell victory increased the Eagles’

lead in the series to 21-16-1.

The five-point difference Friday made it the closest game between

the two schools since Estancia won, 10-7, in 1991.

* In their haste to direct players off the field toward the

busses, CdM coaches failed to realize the busses were awaiting them

at the east end of the field, not the west end where they had been

dropped off.

But, rather than parade his players back across the field, and in

front of several Laguna Beach rooters still in the stands, CdM Coach

Dick Freeman sent someone to have the busses come to the players.

* Newport Harbor’s 63-20 win over Woodbridge featured both a

high-scoring offense and an opportunistic defense.

The Sailors created a season-high six turnovers, including two

interceptions for touchdowns. It was the most turnovers by a Sailor

opponent since the Tars hauled in five interceptions against Mira

Costa in Week 5.

The offense rushed for 366 yards, bettered this season only by a

418-yard output in Week 9 against Laguna Hills.

The Woodbridge game also marked the sixth game this season the

Sailors have not allowed a quarterback sack.

* The final regular-season game of 2004 felt a lot like the 2003

regular-season finale for Newport Harbor.

Woodbridge opened up the game last year with a touchdown drive.

The Warriors waited until its second possession to drive down the

field and claim a 7-0 advantage Friday.

But in both games, Newport Harbor responded with a flurry of

scores to secure the win.

“The game had the same kind of feel to the game last year,” Coach

Jeff Brinkley said. “Except they scored on the second drive this year

and not the first drive.”

The Sailors exploded with 42 consecutive points last year and 49

straight points Friday.

* Sage Hill School, in just its third varsity season, is new to

the CIF Southern Section Division XIII playoffs.

Perhaps this could explain why Coach Tom Monarch was not present

Sunday at the section office, where coaches annually convene to

collect playoff materials and exchange game videotape and other game

management details with their first-round opponents.

Monarch said Sunday night he planned to exchange video with

Linfield Christian Monday.