Trevor Pacheco has big game in return to Estancia backfield

Reporting from Santa Ana —  A week ago against Laguna Beach High, Estancia football coach Mike Bargas decided to keep senior running back Trevor Pacheco out of the offensive game plan.

Pacheco had rolled his left ankle in the team’s Sept. 14 game at Ocean View, and Bargas wanted to make sure he had his primary weapon as close to full strength as possible.

During the Eagles’ loss to the Breakers last week, Pacheco could be seen standing near the end of the bench, clearly itching for a chance to impact the game.

So when he returned to the Eagles’ backfield in the Orange Coast League opener on Thursday night, Pacheco wasted no time in making his presence felt.

The explosive running back rushed 25 times for 226 yards and three touchdowns, as the visiting Eagles ran past Calvary Chapel 48-0 at Segerstrom High.

“It was definitely hard, but it was better for the team,” Pacheco said of being sidelined offensively against Laguna Beach. “I sat out just so that I could play in league and be fully into it and healthy.

“It felt great coming back out. It was building up in me having to sit out that game, and it just came out this game.”

Pacheco carried the ball on all four plays of a 53-yard opening drive for Estancia, capping it with a two-yard dive to the end zone.

The drives that followed took on a similar look. Pacheco dashed to the end zone on a nine-yard run to give Estancia a 14-0 lead after its first two possessions.

As the second quarter began, Estancia (4-2 overall) positioned itself to take a commanding lead when Nathan Pacheco fell on a fumble at the Calvary Chapel 34. Another nine-yard touchdown by Trevor Pacheco 58 seconds later opened Estancia’s advantage to 21-0.

Estancia went on to create turnovers on three consecutive possessions. Calvary Chapel (0-6) moved the ball through the air on back-to-back drives, but each was derailed by an Estancia interception.

Hayden Pearce had the first one as Calvary Chapel crossed midfield. After an Estancia punt, Calvary Chapel was nearing the red zone when Nathan Guyot took a Joshua Koth pass up the left sideline for an 81-yard interception return.

The defensive score gave Estancia a 27-0 halftime lead.

“Obviously, they didn’t allow any points, but they were flying around out there,” Bargas said of his defense. “That was nice to see. I saw a lot of great gang tackles.

“They created turnovers for us, too. We had a little bit of a dry spell the last two weeks. I thought that special teams played well, too.”

Estancia High’s Ryan Carrillo (17) reacts after the defense recovers a fumble against Calvary Chapel during the first half of an Orange Coast League opener at Segerstrom High on Thursday.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Pearce serves as the punt returner for his team, but he had gone through issues with ball security. Bargas supported Pearce through the struggles, and the senior receiver showed his skills on a 56-yard touchdown reception from Jaycen Cash.

“I can’t really move side-to-side much,” Pearce said. “My main goal is just to run straight and hope they don’t catch me. Once I get the ball, make sure to tuck it. I learned my lesson from last week. I’m not letting go this time.”

Cash and Beto Sotomayor added rushing scores in the fourth quarter. Tony Valdez also had a strip sack.

The win snapped Estancia’s three-game losing streak in the series with Calvary Chapel.

Estancia will take on Saddleback (1-4) on Oct. 5 at Segerstrom High. A win would make Estancia eligible to receive an at-large bid into the CIF Southern Section Division 13 playoffs. Estancia is seeking its first playoff appearance since 2014.

“I told the kids this week, ‘Winning cures a lot of ailments,’ ” Bargas said. “Hopefully, we can just build off of this thing and keep playing well. We need to because it’s just going to get rougher.

“It’s nice to get back on the winning track because just like winning, losing is contagious, too.”

Orange Coast League

Estancia 48, Calvary Chapel 0

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Estancia 14 – 14 – 6 – 14 — 48

Calvary Chapel 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 — 0

FIRST QUARTER

E – T. Pacheco 2 run (Douglass kick), 8:29.

E – T. Pacheco 9 run (Douglass kick), 4:15.

SECOND QUARTER

E – T. Pacheco 9 run (Douglass kick), 9:27.

E – Guyot 81 interception return (Douglass kick failed), :19.

THIRD QUARTER

E – Pearce 56 pass from Cash (Douglass kick), 10:49.

FOURTH QUARTER

E – Cash 5 run (Douglass kick), 11:21.

E – Sotomayor 8 run (Douglass kick), 1:57.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

E – T. Pacheco, 25-226, 3 TDs.

CC – Price, 10-54.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

E – Cash, 4-12-0, 88, 1 TD.

CC – Koth, 9-16-2, 68.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

E – Pearce, 1-56, 1 TD.

CC – Coyne, 2-34.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner