Versatile Villalvazo leaving foes dizzy

Ezequiel Villalvazo football player of week featureHe shakes off concussions to make big impact on Estancia’s CIF playoff hopes.Ezequiel Villalvazo knows what it’s like to be the only one in the room who believes.

The Estancia High senior also knows what can happen when others embrace the optimism that has put him and his team in position to achieve success this season.

What Eagles Coach Brian Barnes called Villalvazo’s breakout performance this season helped Estancia defeat Saddleback, 34-7, on Thursday in a Golden West League contest Barnes called the team’s Super Bowl.

Villalvazo, who for the first time in his high school career added duty at running back to his time at slot receiver, was an offensive force against the Roadrunners. He produced a team-high 78 rushing yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. He also had a team-high six receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown.

The victory put Estancia (2-7, 2-3 in league) in position to claim the league’s fourth guaranteed playoff berth. It would be the Eagles’ first trip to the postseason since 2000.

“The coaches told us we had to believe and a lot of people didn’t,” Villalvazo said of the mood at the first practice (Oct. 31) to prepare for Saddleback. “But there were some of us who wanted to play.”

The desire to play became critical for the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Villalvazo after he sustained two concussions in the first two games. The second one put him in the hospital.

“The first concussion [against Corona del Mar] was minor,” Villalvazo said. “But the second one [against Huntington Park] was a lot worse.”

Dizzy and disoriented after the Huntington Park game, he was helped to the bus and taken to the hospital. He said he did not know his name and, for several hours, could not recognize his mother, Elva.

Doctors recommended he not play again this season and Barnes agreed.

“I care about these kids’ lives more than football,” Barnes said.

But Villalvazo refused to relent. Disregarding the advice of his doctors, his family, his coaches, and even some teammates, he continued to insist on returning to the field.

“My mom was fighting me on it,” he said. “But I told her it was my senior year and I had to play. I begged her to play.”

After sitting out one game and the subsequent bye week, Villalvazo finally convinced his mother to allow him to play. He caught the game-winning 59-yard touchdown pass in his first game back Sept. 30 against cross-town rival Costa Mesa.

Still, Barnes was reluctant to use him on offense. Villalvazo started at cornerback, but his time at receiver has increased slowly. Barnes also insisted he change to a newer helmet, believed to be more effective in reducing impact.

After no recurrence of problems for Villalvazo, and with a string of injuries to Eagles running backs, Barnes and his staff elected to give Villalvazo a more prominent role on offense.

“As one of our best offensive weapons, we wanted to get him the ball more,” Barnes said of Villalvazo, who leads the team in receiving yards (443). His 26 receptions are second on the team, one behind junior Matt Redding.

“I had never played running back and I had never run the ball,” Villalvazo said. “I was OK with playing receiver, but we needed help at running back. And I’ll do whatever is needed to help the team. If they wanted me to play defensive tackle, I’d play there.”

But Villalvazo said he could get used to his expanded role.

“Running the football is fun,” he said. “I like having the football.”

EZEQUIEL VILLALVAZO

Born: April 28, 1988

Hometown: Costa Mesa

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 170

Sport: Football

Positions: Receiver/running back/cornerback

Coach: Brian Barnes

Favorite food: Ribs

Favorite movie: “The Notebook”

Favorite athletic moment: “My touchdown catch against Costa Mesa this year [a 59-yard scoring pass from Ryan Watson that proved to be the winning touchdown in a 20-14 Golden West League-opening victory Sept. 30].”

Week in review: He rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries and caught six passes for 169 yards and one touchdown in the Eagles’ 34-7 Golden West League win over Saddleback on Thursday at Orange Coast College.

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