Bargas remains cautious

At least the Estancia High football team is playing in Costa Mesa this time.

Three weeks from competing on the road, Garden Grove, Buena Park and the latest Mission Viejo, the Eagles are in need of a home football game.

“It seems like we’re always away,” said Coach Mike Bargas, referring to not having a field on site and having to play home games at Newport Harbor and Orange Coast College.

OCC will be Estancia’s home tonight at 7 against La Quinta (0-3), a program that is off to a poorer start than Estancia (1-3). It’s something Bargas can look to and say things in his first year aren’t so bad.

The last time the Aztecs won was on Oct. 7, 2005. Back then Bargas coached as an assistant at Newport Harbor, his alma mater.

“They’ve lost 17 straight games,” Bargas said. “We’re still dealing with a dangerous team. They will pull out everything they can to win. We’re approaching this game cautiously.”

Better than the Eagles’ attitude last week against JSerra. Bargas said they came out flat and played flat in a 35-19 loss. Somehow Bargas felt it before the start. The giddy feeling in Week 2 after winning his first game turned nauseous.

“I had a sick feeling in my stomach,” he said, and then it worsened.

With the defense on the field for long stretches, the offense found itself playing catch-up. Quarterback Mike Morley tried to bring Estancia back, delivering his best performance this season. He threw for 149 yards and one touchdown and ran for 91 yards and one touchdown.

The offense appears to be finding a rhythm, with Morley and running back Carlos Mendez, who missed getting his second straight 100-yard effort by one yard.

The defense should have an easier time against La Quinta, a Garden Grove League team. Estancia won’t have to deal with a quarterback like JSerra star Sam Inman’s running and throwing abilities.

The Aztecs feature two quarterbacks. George Martinez and Steve Andreen split time in an offense that runs anything from a pro set to the option. More looks for Estancia than what JSerra showed in its spread offense in which Inman ran for a career-high 163 yards and two touchdowns and also finished with 110 yards passing and two scores.

The Eagles, with senior linemen Sean Ulrich and Conner McKendry, should control the line of scrimmage against the smaller Aztecs. Ulrich recorded four sacks last week. Bargas wants more of that from his defense, particularly earlier in the game to set the tone.

“We didn’t stay disciplined last week, and they ran a lot of counters and dive-keep plays that got big yards,” Bargas said. “We’re now at home and it’s nice to be local. I don’t have to pay any tolls to get us to a game.”

Plus, the Eagles are playing a team on a 17-game slide, a fast way to get back on the winning path.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.