Estancia aims to flex its muscles

Last year was a season of mass changes for the Estancia High football program.

Estancia brought in new uniforms and welcomed a new head coach in Brian Barnes, who set out to establish a stellar work ethic in his players and a new commitment throughout the program.

But with few standouts on offense to learn a new system and a tough schedule, the Eagles were only able to muster two victories and were outscored, 336-118.

Now Barnes has a year under his belt running the spread offense and the Eagles boast experience on the offensive line, not to mention a star receiver who has bulked up for his senior season.

If the Estancia running game can improve upon the 1.4 yards per carry it averaged last year, a big step up over last year’s 2-9 record could be in the cards. This is especially so with a schedule that features 10 teams Barnes believes his squad can compete with, including Orange Coast League foes Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa and Calvary Chapel.

Here’s a position-by-position look at an Estancia squad with high hopes this season:

Quarterback: Stepping in as the starter is 6-foot-2, 175-pound junior Mike Morley, who was a backup last season.

Morley was a big-play guy in limited action last year, when he was six for eight passing for 164 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Both of his touchdown passes came on double passes.

Morley has worked with Brian Barnes’ father, John Barnes, the legendary Los Alamitos head man.

Brian Barnes said Morley is a smart player with an accurate arm, but he could use a little more arm strength.

Morley replaces departed Ryan Watson, who was 119 of 243 passing for 1,453 yards, including 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a senior last year, when he was named All-Newport-Mesa.

Morley’s older brother, senior Tim Morley, is the backup. Tim Morley (6-2 1/2 , 200), who boasts a strong arm, starts at weak-side linebacker on defense.

Running backs: The Eagles believe they have a solid one-two punch with seniors Rafael Alejandre and Diego Carrasco.

Barnes said the 5-9, 185-pound Alejandre, who broke an ankle last season against Orange and played through it, could be a force running the ball.

Alejandre saw limited time at running back and defensive end last year and had a personal-best 27 yards rushing on six carries against Orange.

Barnes said Carrasco ( 5-8, 160) is the fastest player on the team and could be a big contributor if he sorts out the eligibility issues he had last season.

“He has a lot of potential,” Barnes said.

Senior Danny Orozco will be the fullback when it uses a two-back set. Otherwise, the 5-10, 205-pound Orozco will fill in as the team’s third running back.

“We’ll work hard to establish the run,” Barnes said. “We definitely need to improve in that area.”

Receivers: Matt Redding, who was a first-team All-Golden West League and Newport-Mesa Dream Team honoree last year, returns to lead a talented group.

Redding, a right outside receiver, put on 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season after producing 36 catches for 409 yards and seven touchdowns last year. He had scoring receptions of 75, 74, 60 and 34 yards and figures to be a big-play guy for the Eagles again this season.

Barnes said the senior captain has the ability to be the offensive player of the year in the Orange Coast League.

Next to Redding in the right slot will be junior Eddie Tomasek, whom Barnes said is a tremendous athlete. Tomesak also added 20 pounds to his 6-2 frame.

Returning starter Edgar Vargas is back in the left slot. Vargas missed some time with injuries, but started the majority of Estancia’s games last year, catching passes and taking handoffs.

The 5-6, 160-pound senior had four catches for 69 yards and 10 rushes for 45 yards against Ocean View last season.

Lining up outside of Vargas will be either senior Jose Franco, who played mostly on the junior varsity last season, or senior Brian Harriman, a transfer from Texas who has shown good athletic ability.

Jason Moreno, who played backup running back last year as a sophomore, was moved to receiver after losing weight due to appendicitis. He could see playing time.

If the Eagles ever run a tight end set, Tim Morley will fill the position, but Estancia rarely uses a tight end.

Offensive line: The Eagles boast three returning starters on what should be a bigger, better unit than last season.

Left tackle Sean Ulrich and right tackle Connor McKendry received honorable mention in the All-Golden West League voting.

Ulrich is a 6-3, 237-pounder who played guard last season.

The 6-4 1/2 , 245-pound McKendry is slated to be a two-way starter for the second straight year.

“He’s very talented and athletic,” Barnes said. “He improved a lot in the off-season.”

Returning at left guard is junior Alex Machuca (5-10 1/2 , 245).

Junior right guard Davis Lettieri (5-11, 255) and junior center David Lopez (5-8, 255) are first-year starters. Lettieri bench presses more than 300 pounds.

Estancia’s starting offensive line averages 248 pounds. Barnes said that’s a 28- to 33-pound increase over last season.

Also vying for time on the offensive line is guard Vincent Castro (5-8, 235), a senior playing high school football for the first time, senior Kristian Carranza (5-9, 220) and junior tackle Junior Contreras (5-10, 262).

Barnes said Contreras is the strongest player in the program.

“We had tough off-season workouts and just about every kid got bigger,” Barnes said.

Defensive line: McKendry and Dion Domurat are slated to start at end.

McKendry is tall and athletic and could give opposing quarterbacks fits trying to throw over him and run away from him.

Domurat, a 5-9, 205-pound senior captain, played defensive tackle last season.

“[Domurat] is a kid we want kids to be like,” Barnes said. “He works his tail off and he’s definitely a leader. The kids vote for captains, and he was one of the top vote-getters. He’s a kid everyone likes to be around.”

Carranza could also see time as a backup at end.

Barnes said he hasn’t settled on the rest of the defensive line, but Ulrich, Lettieri, Lopez, Castro, Machuca and Contreras are among those who could be in the mix.

Linebackers: Barnes said his starters could represent the strength of the defense.

It’s a three-headed monster that consists of Alejandre and Tim Morley on the outside, with Orozco in the middle.

Alejandre is slated to be the strong-side linebacker with Morley as the weak-side guy.

Morley started on the outside last year, when Orozco was a defensive end. All three were voted captains this season.

“I’m really excited about the linebacking crew,” Barnes said. “The three of them, if healthy, will be very successful for us. They should be forces.”

Junior Jimmy Gallegos will backup Morley and sophomore Carlos Mendez is the primary backup outside.

Secondary: Redding gives the secondary stability as the returning strong safety and the hard-working senior Julio Medero (5-10, 165) takes over at free safety as a first-year starter.

Barnes said Vargas and Carrasco are the front-runners for the two cornerback spots.

Seniors Jose Franco and Victor Ramos also are in the mix.

Kicking game: Carrasco is slated to take on the kicking and punting duties for the first time.

The Eagles should have plenty of big-play potential returning punts and kicks with Redding and Vargas.

Barnes said Redding most likely will return punts and kickoffs, while Vargas should also be a deep man on kickoffs.