Estancia football blanks Loara in season opener

Estancia High School football coach Mike Bargas said people keep asking him if there are any more Pachecos coming.

Bargas wishes there were, but Trevor, Nathan and now Lucas Pacheco have all graduated from the program in the last three years.

Still, the “Aire” to the running back throne isn’t so bad, either.

“We’ve got a pretty good one,” Bargas said after junior Noah Aires rushed for three touchdowns Friday night.

Estancia had its way against visiting Loara, earning a 38-0 shutout victory in its nonleague season opener at Jim Scott Stadium.

Estancia’s Noah Aires (6) and Dion Kerkhoff (16) celebrate a touchdown by Aires in the first half.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Aires had seven carries for 99 yards and the three scores, which came from 35, 28 and 29 yards out. All of that production came in the first half, when Estancia scored all of its points, instituting a running clock for the entire second half.

Aires managed to find the end zone three times, even after his kickoff return for a touchdown on the game’s opening play was called back due to a penalty.

“It doesn’t matter that it got called back,” said Aires, who also earned a safety on defense after tackling a Loara kickoff returner in the end zone.

“As long as it boosted the morale for the team, that’s all I cared about. It got everyone ready to go hit some stuff. It really set the tempo for the rest of the night, and obviously that tempo helped us.”

Senior quarterback Cameron Knickerbocker had a touchdown pass to senior receiver Trevor Thomas in the first half. The Eagles’ final score came on a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown by Oscar Vazquez, with just one second remaining in the half.

Knickerbocker is entering his third year as starting quarterback for Estancia, though much of his junior season last spring was wiped out after dislocating his hip in Week 2. That sent things into a bit of a spiral; Bargas said he ended up using six quarterbacks.

“It means a lot to be out here with these guys,” Knickerbocker said. “It was nice getting back to normal, with all of the different difficulties we’ve had over the past couple of years. Our coaches and all of our teammates have really just kept each other together and on the same course.”

Estancia receiver Trevor Thomas (8) makes a leaping catch for a touchdown in the first half.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Knickerbocker credited the Eagles’ offensive line as a strength, although Bargas said it was a relative unknown coming into the season.

Junior tight end Oswaldo Sanchez and senior right guard Misael Sandoval are the only returners to the unit, while junior left tackle Alex Rubio, junior left guard Kevin Avonce, senior center Marcos Linares and junior right tackle Adam Sotomayor are all newcomers.

Sanchez said he’s had to step up as a leader.

“Sometimes, I yell [at my teammates],” he said. “It helps … [but] I really feel uncomfortable yelling. Using my voice is different.”

Junior free safety Dion Kerkhoff had a pair of interceptions to lead the Estancia defense Friday night. The Eagles recorded their first shutout since a 34-0 Orange Coast League win over Saddleback on Oct. 10, 2019.

Loara (1-1), coached by former Laguna Beach High athletic director Lance Neal, struggled to get things going offensively. The Saxons’ biggest play of the night was a 51-yard pass from Remy Ybarra to Christian Arrieta in the first quarter, but they couldn’t build on it.

The Eagles hope they can build on their opening win. The next challenge will be tougher, as they play at Laguna Hills on Friday night.

“It was nice to come out with the victory early,” Bargas said. “These guys have worked hard all summer, and I think they were hungry to play tonight. They were tired of hearing me bark, but they had fun tonight.”

Estancia defender Oswaldo Sanchez, left, sacks Loara quarterback Remy Ybarra (3) for a loss on Friday.

(Don Leach/ Staff Photographer)

::

Nonleague

Estancia 38, Loara 0

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Loara 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 — 0

Estancia 24 – 14 – 0 – 0 — 38

FIRST QUARTER

E – Aires 35 run (Sanchez kick), 6:38.

E - Thomas 19 pass from Knickerbocker (Sanchez kick), 5:28.

E - Safety (Aires tackled kickoff returner in end zone), 5:22.

E - Aires 28 run (pass successful), 5:03.

SECOND QUARTER

E – Aires 29 run (Sanchez kick), 4:56.

E – Vazquez 73 punt return (Sanchez kick), 0:01.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

L – Ochoa, 5-24.

E – Aires, 7-99, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

L – Ybarra, 3-7-2, 54.

E – Knickerbocker, 7-10-0, 76, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

L – Arrieta, 1-51.

E – Thomas, 4-48, 1 TD.

::

Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.

For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.