Eagles beginning to believe

Mike Bargas coaches football and teaches health. But the Estancia High head man also dabbles in psychology.

So the Eagles’ third-year coach believes his team’s ability to extend a recent winning streak when it faces winless La Quinta tonight at 7 at Estancia, is as important as continued improvement with Orange Coast League play approaching.

Estancia (3-1), having matched the program’s longest winning streak since a 5-0 start in 1996, is heavily favored to make it four straight victories when it meets the Aztecs (0-3) in the nonleague contest.

Such a win add to the favorable experiences that are helping change the mind-set of a program that has not won a CIF Southern Section playoff game since 1980 and has had just one winning record in the previous eight campaigns.

“Last year, we won three football games,” said Bargas, who is blatantly aware that one of the seven losses last season was a stunning 17-0 setback to La Quinta that ended the Aztecs’ 27-game losing streak. “I think every week, we are building more confidence, because Estancia is coming from a background of having struggled to find a victory. Our guys are not only gaining confidence in themselves, but they are starting to believe in what we are doing as a coaching staff.”

The Eagles posted a 21-0 win over Magnolia last week, avenging a 58-14 loss to the Sentinels in 2008. It was Estancia’s first shutout in 27 games.

Offensively, the Eagles have been led by senior tailback Alex Abalos, who exploded for a career-high 244 yards on 29 carries against Magnolia. Abalos has 621 yards on 84 rushing attempts this season and four of his five touchdowns have come on the ground. He is averaging just more than 155 rushing yards per game and 7.4 yards per carry.

Abalos might be asked to carry an even bigger load tonight, as Bargas said senior quarterback Alek Kirshner has battled an illness and his playing status will not be known until today.

“If Kirshner can’t go, John Diego will be the quarterback,” Bargas said.

Diego, a 5-foot-8 junior, has not thrown a pass this season.

Kirshner is 27 for 56 this season for 276 passing yards. He has thrown two touchdown passes and one interception.

La Quinta, under first-year coach Wes Choate, has been outscored, 142-29, but its three losses are to teams at or better than .500.

“They seem to be a little more disciplined, more organized and pretty well-coached,” Bargas said of the Aztecs. “They have the same kinds of kids they’ve had the last few seasons, but they are more on the ball.”

The kinds of kids of which Bargas speaks are generally small.

La Quinta’s top two rushers are Nicky Luu (5-4, 125 pounds) and Chris Nguyen (5-6, 150). Its two quarterbacks this season have been Darren Nguyen (6-1, 135) and Andy Luu (5-9, 130).

The Estancia defense that features senior inside linebacker Sean Davis, junior end Omar Gutierrez and junior safety Matt Carlyle (three interceptions), figures to be a challenge for the Aztecs.

“Defensively, we need to be in the right place and wrap up,” Bargas said.

“And we’d like to be more balanced offensively.”