‘Jiggy,’ Loara shock Estancia in season opener

Jacob Mendoza’s father gave him the nickname of “Jiggy” as an infant, and the name stuck.

“Jiggy” seems like a good adjective to describe the way Mendoza, now a senior running back for the Loara High football team, is hard to tackle.

Mendoza certainly got jiggy with it enough to hand Estancia an upset loss Thursday night at Western High.

He rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, also returning a kickoff for a touchdown in Loara’s 39-19 victory in the season opener for both teams.

Coach Mitch Olson’s Saxons, who entered the season having won just one game since 2013, put together an impressive effort against Estancia. If it wasn’t Mendoza pounding it down the Eagles’ throat, it was junior quarterback Matt Blackney, who had a passing touchdown and also ran for 81 yards and two scores.

Estancia lost in a season opener for the first time since 2013, which was also against Loara. The Eagles had beaten the Saxons in the opener each of the last three seasons, but not this time.

“I feel a lot better about our team,” Mendoza said. “We worked so hard over the summer, I think we deserved this win. We wanted it more. We played a lot harder … It’s a great start to a wonderful season, hopefully. We’re going to keep working for the next games.”

Mendoza helped put the game away in the fourth quarter after Estancia threatened to rally. Three touchdowns were scored in a 34-second span, and two of them were by the home team.

Blackney hit Drew Perkins on a 28-yard inside slant with 9:33 left in the game, giving Loara a 25-7 lead. But Estancia’s Trevor Pacheco took the ensuing kickback 95 yards for the touchdown.

Mendoza answered with his own special teams score. He ran up the middle for an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown of his own. Luis Banda’s extra point gave the Saxons a 32-13 advantage.

The game certainly started promisingly enough for the Eagles, who used early defense to create offense. On the first play from scrimmage, Blackney looked to his right to throw a screen pass, but Estancia’s Hunter Mensinger jumped the route.

Mensinger returned the ball 20 yards into the end zone, but it was called back due to an Estancia personal foul. Still, the Eagles later converted after a pitch to Pacheco. The junior looked and found junior receiver Hayden Pearce in the right side of the end zone, and Andy Martinez’s conversion kick gave the visitors an early 7-0 lead.

But it would be the only points they would score in the first half. Penalties were also a theme for Estancia, which committed five of them in the game’s first three minutes. The Eagles had nine penalties in the first half and finished the game with 13 penalties for 115 yards.

“There’s no excuse,” Estancia coach Mike Bargas said. “We didn’t put out a very good package tonight. We just made a ton of mistakes, and those penalties hurt us. The good thing, it’s Week 1. The bad thing, it’s Week 1. It’s going to get more difficult every week … It’s early in the season, and we’re real young. We had breakdowns all over the place. We’re a better football team than that.”

On subsequent Estancia drives in the first half following the touchdown, the Eagles gave up a fumble on the Loara 20-yard line. They then failed to take advantage of a muffed punt recovered by Deshandre Kerkhoff, failing to convert on fourth-and-16 at the Loara 21-yard line.

Midway through the second quarter, Estancia got even closer. But, on fourth-and-11 at the Loara 16, sophomore quarterback Jaycen Cash’s keeper gained just six yards.

Cash split quarterback duties with senior Vincent Duarte. The favorite target of both was Nathan Guyot, who had nine catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Bargas said there is still a competition at quarterback between the senior and the sophomore, who both played multiple series during the game.

“I’m hoping that one of the guys will arise,” Bargas said. “Vinny did some really nice things, and then he stuttered or made a poor read. Same with Jaycen … We’re going to keep evaluating until we find one team that’s going to step up and lead the team, take ownership of it.”

Estancia returns to action next week with a home game against El Dorado.

Loara 39, Estancia 19

Estancia……7 0 0 12 — 19

Loara……….6 12 0 21 — 39

FIRST QUARTER

Est – Pearce 10 pass from Pacheco (Martinez kick), 9:33.

Loa – Blackney 7 run (kick failed), 8:15.

SECOND QUARTER

Loa – Mendoza 15 run (pass failed), 11:25.

Loa – Mendoza 90 run (kick failed), 6:29.

FOURTH QUARTER

Loa – Perkins 28 pass from Blackney (Banda kick), 9:33.

Est –T. Pacheco 95 kickoff return (kick failed), 9:13.

Loa – Mendoza 80 kickoff return (Banda kick), 8:59.

Est – Guyot 15 pass from Cash (pass failed), 5:37.

Loa – Blackney 21 run (Banda kick), 4:45.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Est – T. Pacheco, 23-141.

Loa – Mendoza, 16-180, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Est – Duarte, 12-25-2, 109.

Loa – Blackney, 7-14-1, 97, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Est – Guyot, 9-92, 1 TD.

Loa – Aguilar, 2-36.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo