Eagles sport new look

With a majority of veterans returning on the offensive line, Estancia High Coach Mike Bargas is looking for five beefy guys to provide the backbone for his team. Three of the starting five on the line returned this year, christened with a trip to the playoffs under former coach Brian Barnes, who left to take a job at Tesoro.

Senior first-team all-league quarterback Mike Morley (6-foot-1, 166 pounds) also returns, which gives Bargas even more reason to lean hard on his offense this year.

Here’s a position-by-position look at the Eagles, who start the season against Aquinas Friday at 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor.

Quarterback: Morley, who was the starting quarterback for the Eagles last year, returns to lead again this season. Bargas likes Morley’s athleticism and his grasp of the offense. Last season, Morley completed 88 of 168 passes for 1665 yards and 19 touchdowns. He threw 11 interceptions and also gained 250 yards rushing on 64 attempts. The Eagles finished 7-4, and lost, 44-40, to Corona del Mar in the playoffs, so Morley is eager to drive Estancia even farther this year.

“He’s kind of a complete package,” Bargas said. “He’s a natural leader. He’s not one of those yeller-screamer guys. He’s got a good arm, he’s athletic, he moves well, and he’s got some good strength. I knew he was good when I got here because I had heard about him. He’s better than he was last year.”

Junior Radames Gutierrez (5-10, 145) and sophomore Alek Kirshner (5-9, 128) will handle the backup duties. Kirshner is also the starting junior varsity quarterback.

Running backs:

Juniors Jason Moreno (5-9, 142) and Carlos Mendez (5-6, 154) will provide a “one-two punch” at tailback, Bargas said, and both boys have tremendous strength for their sizes. The running will likely be by committee, though Moreno is expected to make significant contributions on defense as well, so Mendez may edge Moreno for the starting nod.

“It’s always good when you get two guys who are about as equal and good, and they’re only juniors, so we get them next year, too,” Bargas said. “I’m excited about that.”

Sophomore Coleman Brown, senior Sam Trancoso (5-9, 182), and senior Chad Gores (5-7, 170), who is new to the team, will play backup.

Seniors Jimmy Gallegos (5-8, 192), Alex Allison (5-11, 205), and Jordan Mellin (6-1, 180) are battling for the starting fullback position. The fullback in Bargas’ system will be used primarily for blocking.

“They’re not burners, but they’ll give you a little burst there,” Bargas said.

Tight end: Junior Eli Diego (6-4, 193) is a returning varsity player slated to start at tight end, and junior Patrick McGuire is in the mix for the position as well.

“He’s not a real speedy guy,” Bargas said of Diego. “But he’s so rangy and so long, if they try to put him up against a guy that’s 5-7 or 5-8, all the quarterback’s got to do is just loft the ball up there eight feet off the ground and he’ll just snag it. It’s a nice weapon to have.”

Wide receivers: The one adjective Bargas didn’t want to use to describe this year’s receiving corps was “fast.” He was fine with “relatively quick” but said that fast would be a bit of a misnomer.

Senior Ryan Redding (6-1, 171), whose brother Matt was the 2006 Orange Coast League Offensive Player of the Year, decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps this year by trying out for football. He is expected to start.

“He’s a superior athlete,” Bargas said. “He’s going to be a threat.”

Veteran senior Eddie Tomasek (6-1, 180), a returning starter and second-team all-league last season, will also play wide receiver, and junior Michael Arciga (5-7, 142) is another new player.

“He’s not a real big guy, but he’s quick and elusive, so if he gets the ball thrown to him, and he’s out in the open field, then it’s going to be hard to chase him down,” Bargas said.

Offensive line: Bargas has high expectations for his offensive line, and he’s not shy about making that known. With three out of five players returning on the offensive line with playoff experience, he’s expecting the rest of the team to stand on the shoulders of these giants. Senior Connor McKendry (6-4, 255) will start at left tackle, senior Sean Ulrich (6-2, 239) at right tackle, and senior David Lopez (5-8, 242) at center on an offensive line that averages about 230 pounds, Bargas said. McKendry was named to the Orange Coast League first-team a season ago, while Ulrich took second-team honors.

He was still unsure of who would start at guard, but seniors Alex Machuca (5-10, 216) and Bulmaro Contreras (5-8, 217) are slated to be the front-runners. Machuca was a first-team all-league selection last season.

“We hope to establish the running game behind those guys,” Bargas said. “One of the negatives or one of the weak spots of that is that at least three of them are going to go both ways. We’re trying to build the stamina in those guys. We have a very adequate second string, but those guys are going to be the pillar of the offense. I hold those guys accountable for a lot of stuff.”

Defensive line: Three out of four starters on the defensive line will likely play both ways, Bargas said. Ulrich and McKendry should start at defensive end. Machuca and Contreras are all slated to start at tackle. Juniors Heraldo Marquez (6-0, 330) and Freddy Garica (5-11, 272) are also competing at nose guard. Marquez provides advantage with his size, and Bargas said he is looking forward to seeing teams try to move a 330-pound kid off the line for every play. Junior Jose Padilla (6-5, 249) and senior Ryan Esfahani (6-0, 174) will play backup defensive end.

“They’re pretty much interchangeable,” Bargas said. “They’re thick up front. We’re big on guys going by committee, so if we’ve got guys that are very even on the playing field, we’re going to keep it fresh.”

Linebackers: There are five athletes vying for spots at linebacker, including senior Jimmy Gallegos (5-8, 192) and Brown at middle linebacker.

“Jimmy was actually a lineman last year, but he’s coming into that spot and he’s a good leader,” Bargas said. “Coleman Brown’s a great athlete. He’s giving Jimmy some competition.”

Brown has been able to come up since there was no freshman team last year, and he did well playing on the freshman/sophomore junior varsity squad.

Tomasek, Brian Linares, Allison, Trancoso, and junior Nick Akutagawa (5-10, 198), are all competing for spots at outside linebacker. Bargas said he might use the outside linebackers by committee as well.

Secondary: Though only a sophomore, Kirshner has already started showing maturity and leadership, and will start at cornerback. Kirshner broke his collarbone last year in a game, but fully recovered, and is ready to compete. Moreno is also a possibility at corner.

“They’re tough kids,” Bargas said. “They’re not very big, but they’re tough kids and they play smart.”

Gutierrez and Redding will likely start at safety.

“Redding’s a great athlete and covers the field really well,” Bargas said. “Radames will hit you. He doesn’t look very imposing, but this summer he smacked a lot of kids around.”

Special teams: Diego will also serve as kicker in addition to his tight end duties. “During spring ball, I would say he kicked 95% of the balls into the end zone,” Bargas said. “So if you’ve got a kicker who can do that, that’s a great weapon to have for special teams, so it’s awesome.”