Olivas’ highlight show

COSTA MESA — The highlights for Estancia High were on the top of its boys’ soccer players’ heads.

Some highlighted just their Mohawk, others their entire hair, all this for a CIF Southern Section Division IV first-round playoff match.

So much for a new look. None of them were able to finish an offensive highlight in the first 65 minutes.

The player with the best blond highlights also had the brightest highlight Friday night.

Jorge Olivas took a ball off his chest, controlled it and raced for his life, his teammates’ soccer playoff lives. Thirty yards later, the senior blasted a game-winning shot in the 66th minute, lifting Estancia past La Mirada, 1-0, and keeping the team’s championship hope alive.

Olivas, hurting the previous four matches with a hamstring problem, didn’t have to stand on his own two feet.

The Eagles lifted him to the air, their way of thanking the striker. Estancia (14-1-7), the No. 4 seed, avoided disaster in the first round, a round that has ended with too many letdowns for Coach Gannon Burks to handle.

La Mirada (12-8-3) almost handed Estancia its second loss this season. Burks and his Eagles are moving on to the second round to play Inglewood on Wednesday. There will be a coin flip to determine which team will play host.

This is the Eagles’ second straight second-round appearance. For a moment, Burks thought about the four previous years before reaching the second round last season. During that stretch, the Eagles never got out of the first round.

“Obviously, it’s in the back of your mind,” said Burks, who went into Friday’s match confident, maybe a tad too much.

Burks watched La Mirada’s wild-card match against Santa Paula on Wednesday. The Matadores’ 2-1 victory didn’t impress him. La Mirada gained Burks’ respect on Friday.

The third-place team out of the Suburban League pushed back the Orange Coast League champion, taking Estancia’s best shot time after time.

Both goalkeepers, Estancia senior Jose Castrejon and La Mirada junior Josue Quintanilla, played well enough to record the shutout.

Sometimes Quintanilla didn’t even need to use his gloves. He punched a few shots out of the box, but the failed opportunities that hurt Estancia the most were because of La Mirada’s Chris Romanowski’s head. The sweeper gave the Eagles’ coaching staff headaches.

The crosses the Eagles sent deep into the box, Romanowski used his height advantage and headed them away. He was the giraffe in the box.

Burks and assistant coach Robert Castellano changed Estancia’s attack in the 61st minute. They decided to move Olivas back to striker after he played 11 minutes at midfield.

With Olivas up top with left-footed striker Jesus Garcia, the Eagles showcased their most potent weapons. La Mirada, a team which Coach Phil Yovina said has primarily played with three defenders back all season, had to now account for Olivas.

Garcia, near the Estancia sideline, was the first to almost beat the Matadores. He turned the corner, slightly getting past Romanowski before he slowed Garcia down with a tug.

The ball went out of play, out of danger.

A minute later, the Matadors weren’t completely out of trouble. At least 20 yards away from the box, Romanowski tried to kick the ball out, but Olivas pressured.

The ball hit Olivas’ chest, then fell to the ground. Olivas was off and running with two defenders chasing.

No one was going to catch No. 14. The player with the bad hamstring, the two-tone Mohawk, was on his way to adding another highlight. This time Olivas used his right foot, as he beat the keeper for his 11th goal of the season.

“I started cramping,” said Olivas, knowing no one could possibly cramp his style on this night.