Football: Laurent brothers lead Eagles

Dylan Laurent said he and his older brother Christian don’t really have nicknames that play off each other, like “thunder” and “lightning.”

Someone might want to get on that.

Dylan (5-foot-8) and Christian (5-7) actually might both be “lightning,” relying on their quickness to break off big runs.

Both Laurent brothers had big nights as the Estancia High football team defeated Loara, 48-20, in its nonleague season opener Thursday night at Jim Scott Stadium.

Dylan, a sophomore, found the end zone three times, twice on runs and once on a 55-yard punt return. He finished with 99 yards rushing on just seven carries and also had an interception on defense.

Before this year, Dylan, a Newport-Mesa Dream Team selection as a freshman cornerback last year, was more known for his defense at the high school level.

“In Pop Warner, before ninth grade, I was always a running back,” Dylan Laurent said. “When they told me I would be in the mix this week, I was really excited. I came out for my team.”

Christian, a senior, was more of the primary running back and had 28 carries for 166 yards. Estancia (1-0) used effective offensive line play all night, tallying 355 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Senior fullback Tyler Thomas also had a 44-yard touchdown scamper, while sophomores Jordan Balcazar and Julian Barrios each had one-yard scores in the fourth quarter.

“We have a good group of kids this year,” Estancia Coach Mike Bargas said. “We can also throw the ball. We started off a little bit cold with [junior quarterback] Connor [Brown], but he finished off great toward the end and connected on some balls. You can see when he gets those positives, he feeds off of that. It comes with maturity. He’s just got to get over that hump.”

Brown completed nine of 18 passes for a touchdown and two interceptions. The touchdown came on the Eagles’ opening drive of the night, a 31-yard completion to senior Devon Jackson on fourth down.

Jackson, the Eagles’ top receiver, had to come out of the game, as Bargas said he suffered an ankle injury while celebrating the score. He was seen on the sidelines after the game with crutches, and Bargas said Jackson would have X-rays on Friday.

Estancia never trailed against the Saxons. Loara (0-2) drew even in the second quarter when Oscar Castillo scored on a two-yard touchdown run, coming after a big 38-yard reception by senior Edson Velazquez (75 yards, two touchdowns).

But the Eagles took the halftime lead after a shifty 61-yard touchdown run by Dylan Laurent, using a series of moves near the line of scrimmage to gain separation.

They then pulled away in the third quarter after Thomas’ touchdown. After forcing the Saxons to a three-and-out, Laurent found a seam near the home sideline on the punt return and was gone.

Dylan later found the end zone for the third time on a 16-yard run, giving the hosts a 34-14 advantage with 2:38 left in the third quarter after Ivan Perez’s extra point.

Estancia won the game despite four turnovers (two fumbles lost and two interceptions). The Eagles also were penalized 12 times for 114 yards. Loara committed just three penalties for 25 yards.

“It was nice to win, but I don’t like to win ugly like that,” Bargas said. “We want to do things right, and we did some things wrong. That will hurt us if we don’t clean those things up.”

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Estancia 48, Loara 20

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Loara 0 – 7 – 7 – 6 — 20

Estancia 7 – 7 – 20 – 14 — 48

FIRST QUARTER

Est – Jackson 31 pass from Brown (Perez kick), 7:03.

SECOND QUARTER

Loa – Castillo 2 run (Arellano kick), 4:57.

Est – D. Laurent 61 run (Perez kick), 2:17.

THIRD QUARTER

Est – Thomas 44 run (kick failed), 9:05.

Est – D. Laurent 55 punt return (Perez kick), 7:34.

Loa – Velazquez 9 pass from Mendoza (Arellano kick), 3:44.

Est – D. Laurent 16 run (Perez kick), 2:38.

FOURTH QUARTER

Est – Balcazar 1 run (Perez kick), 7:42.

Loa – Velazquez 13 pass from Mendoza (Arellano kick), 4:23.

Est – Barrios 1 run (Perez kick), 1:53.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Loa – Lev, 11-56.

Est – C. Laurent, 28-166; D. Laurent, 7-99, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Loa – Mendoza, 11-24-1, 131, 2 TDs.

Est – Brown, 9-18-2, 165, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Loa – Velazquez, 6-75, 2 TDs.

Est – Jackson, 2-73, 1 TD.