FAIR GAME:

One of the great people on the local education front in Newport-Mesa is Estancia High School Principal Phil D’Agostino.

Phil knows what’s like to be in the classroom and to be effective with the students since he was one of the most popular teachers ever at Newport Harbor High School.

At Estancia, after just a couple of years, Phil seems to be developing a sort of “pride of ownership” among the kids about their campus, their education and their tradition.

This year I’ve enjoyed frequent e-mails from him reminding me and others in the community of the Principals’ Tailgate party on the Estancia campus prior to their local football games.

He jointly hosts the event with Tewinkle Principal Kirk Bauermeister.

One week I decided to take him up on his offer. I went.

Parents, students, the band, cheerleaders and “future” Eagles filled the front quad area. Volunteers were immersed in burgers and hot dogs; signs, cheering on the team, hung on the walls; it seemed to me like the good old days when I was a kid and the community rallied around the local high school team.

Earlier I mentioned “local” football games.

I purposely said local and not home games, because Estancia doesn’t have its own stadium. The team travel to Newport Harbor, by bus, to its games.

Not exactly ideal if you’re a student who wants to go to the game and you don’t have a car.

But next year all that changes with the new Costa Mesa/Estancia Sports Stadium. It’s long overdue. Both Estancia and Costa Mesa will use the facility as their home stadium.

Construction is now underway on the backside of the Estancia campus and the excitement is growing.

And that’s where you, our readers and the local community, come in.

The local fundraising group Costa Mesa United, a huge proponent of improving local athletic facilities in Costa Mesa, is working with the school district to create a brick walkway near the entry way to the stadium.

The bricks can be purchased by local businesses, alumni, families or individuals for $100 each.

That’s a lot, you might say, for one brick.

But we’re not asking you to build a patio.

Just one brick.

You get the option of personalizing your individual brick with one to three lines of copy, up to 48 characters on each line.

So if you want to say “Go Eagles” and then put your family name down, you can do that.

Or maybe it’s a wish to the Mustangs. Same thing.

Here’s how easy it is. Go to www.costamesaunited.com, then just follow the instructions.

And as far as Phil and the Eagles go, he has another tailgate planned for tonight, prior to their battle with Laguna Beach.

By the way, Phil should have a big smile on his face; after all, the Eagles are 2-0 in Orange Coast League play and are fresh off a 41-13 victory over cross-town rival Costa Mesa.

And everyone knows, forget the burgers and dogs, winning makes building tradition easy.

TOM JOHNSON is the publisher. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to dailypilot@latimes.com.