Eagles pleased to be selfish

Just as Estancia High football coach Mike Bargas envisioned it before the season, the final Orange Coast League game is for the ultimate prize.

The outright league crown is at stake when the Eagles play host to defending league champion Laguna Beach tonight at 7 at Newport Harbor High.

Even a loss, however, would not prevent Estancia (5-4, 2-0 in league) from being the league’s No. 1 representative in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs that open next week.

Should the Eagles lose, they would share the league crown with Costa Mesa, which improved to 3-7, 2-1 with an 8-0 win over Calvary Chapel Thursday night. But, having beaten the Mustangs, the Eagles would be the league’s top playoff designee. Mesa would take the No. 2 spot.

But a victory over the Breakers (1-8, 0-2) would give the Eagles sole possession of their first league title since 1989.

You would think Bargas would feel good about just splitting the league title in his first year. That’s not the case.

“We’re selfish people,” Bargas said. “We want to win this league outright. We want to prove something in the playoffs that Estancia High School is [for real].”

A victory and the Eagles head into the playoffs on a mission. The goal is to earn the program’s first postseason win since 1980.

The way the offensive line is opening holes for junior running back Carlos Mendez, the Eagles might just achieve it. Mendez has surpassed 200 rushing yards in back-to-back games and Estancia is charging with its little back leading the Newport-Mesa area with 1,307 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

If it can win its fourth straight game, Estancia will enter the postseason with a lot of confidence as it attempts to snap a seven-game losing streak in first-round games.

This regular-season finale looks easy for Estancia. Laguna Beach is on a seven-game skid. The last time the Breakers won was Sept. 7, a 31-22 victory against La Quinta. The Breakers have scored more than 12 points only once since then. Three times they’ve been shut out and twice the offense scored only single digits.

Bargas said Charley Bowman, the 2006 league MVP, is Laguna Beach’s best weapon with his ability to throw and run. Estancia will be without its best pass rusher in senior Sean Ulrich, a two-way starter forced to sit out one game after getting ejected in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 41-13 victory against Costa Mesa in Battle for the Bell last week.

The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Ulrich leads the team with eight sacks. Starting in his place on defense is 6-0, 174-pound Ryan Esfahani. At right tackle, Patrick McGuire, a 6-2, 192-pound tight end, will fill in for Ulrich.

“Esfahani was a starter before he got beat out, so we don’t lose the quickness factor,” Bargas said. “We just lost the bulk if they come right at [him] it could hurt us a little bit.”

Another thing that might affect Estancia is the status of senior Eddie Tomasek. Bargas said the starting outside linebacker, receiver and kicker on kickoffs has been limited in practice with one of his knees bothering him.

Tomasek and Ryan Redding give quarterback Radames Gutierrez two solid receiving targets. If Laguna Beach stacks the line to stop Mendez, Gutierrez will have plenty of opportunities to hit his receivers on winnable one-on-one situations.

“We want to be champions,” Bargas said. “We want to prove to the league that this year is our year.”

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