Eagles suffer tough loss

With a little less than two minutes left in the opening quarter, Estancia High appeared on its way to keeping its Orange Coast League title hopes alive.

The Eagles accounted for the football game’s first 14 points, but then they didn’t score again until with about a minute to go in the third quarter.

Godinez scored 35 unanswered points, helping its chances at finishing first in league for the first time in school history. Behind a spectacular performance by quarterback Bryan Ibarra, the Grizzlies moved into sole possession of second place with a 49-21 come-from-behind win at Estancia.

Ibarra thrashed the defending league champion Eagles, rushing 19 times for 265 yards and five touchdowns. The junior also threw two touchdowns, completing four of eight passes for 86 yards.

Ibarra’s only mistake was an errant pass he threw right before halftime that defensive back Trevor Brown intercepted near Estancia’s 10-yard line. By then, Ibarra rallied Godinez, which took a 28-14 lead into the break.

The Grizzlies, who are 5-4 overall, have turned things around after going winless last season. They are 3-1 in league, behind 3-0 Calvary Chapel, which faces Laguna Beach on Friday.

“We’re hoping they lose,” Ibarra said of Calvary Chapel’s Eagles. “We want that league title.”

Ibarra and the Grizzlies took care of Estancia’s Eagles, beating them for the first time in eight tries. The programs went into the night in a two-way tie for second place.

Ibarra created some separation, the same way he did during his two 90-yard rushing touchdowns against Estancia. With one league game left, Godinez can finish at least second with a win against Laguna Beach next week.

Estancia (3-6, 2-2 in league) is now playing for the league’s third-and-final guaranteed CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoff berth next week, when it travels to play Saddleback. The Eagles share third place with Saddleback, which improved to 2-2 in league with a 42-7 win against Costa Mesa on Thursday.

“He dismantled us,” Estancia Coach Mike Bargas said of Ibarra, who in the first half rushed 14 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns and passed for two touchdowns. “We couldn’t answer back when we needed to.

“Now ... [let’s] see if we can rebound from this thing.”

Things began well for Estancia. The opening kickoff went to Godinez and it turned the ball over almost two minutes later. Estancia lineman Alejandro Mondragon fell on a Godinez fumble on the Grizzlies’ 30-yard line.

The Eagles capitalized on the turnover. It took them seven plays to score, doing so on quarterback Connor Brown’s five-yard touchdown pass. Brown went to the same player who recovered the fumble, Mondragon, on a play-action pass.

Estancia forced a three-and-out, getting the ball back midway through the first quarter. Six of the first seven plays on the drive were runs, and the last one was a pass. Brown’s second touchdown went to tight end Konrad O’Daly. With 1:54 to go in the opening quarter, Estancia led, 14-0.

Ibarra cut the deficit in half in a hurry. After going down for a five-yard loss on first down, Ibarra broke a 90-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left in the first quarter.

“That kind of like started the spark,” said Ibarra, whose team was the only one that scored the rest of the way in the first half.

The Grizzlies tied things up at 14-14 on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Ibarra to wideout Joey Guillen with 8:20 left before halftime.

Fifty-nine seconds later, the Grizzlies came up with the first of three second-quarter interceptions. They converted touchdowns on the first two turnovers.

Safety Luis Chavez picked off Brown on the Grizzlies’ 45-yard line. Godinez went on an 11-play, 65-yard drive and took its first lead. Ibarra’s one-yard quarterback sneak allowed Godinez to go ahead, 21-14, with 2:20 remaining in the first half.

Twenty seconds later, Brown’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and it fell right in linebacker Larry Perea’s arms for an interception. Godinez took over inside Estancia’s 40-yard line, and on first down, Ibarra hooked up with Michael Rodriguez for a 37-yard touchdown.

Mistakes plagued Estancia all evening. A bad snap over the punter’s head set the Grizzlies up for their first score in the second half. Ibarra rushed for a 14-yard touchdown, spinning outside to make it 35-14 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.

Five of Ibarra’s touchdowns, whether through the ground or the air, came on the first, second or third play of a drive. No. 6 kept going for six against Estancia.

“I’m gassed,” said Ibarra, who rushed five times in the second half, three went for touchdowns, including a 90-yarder late in the third quarter. “I was just looking for the water girls.”

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Godinez 49, Estancia 21

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Godinez 7 – 21 – 14 – 7 — 49

Estancia 14 – 0 – 7 – 0 — 21

FIRST QUARTER

E – Mondragon 5 pass from C. Brown (Moya kick), 6:48.

E – O’Daly 13 pass from C. Brown (Moya kick), 1:54.

G – Ibarra 90 run (Sosa kick), :55.

SECOND QUARTER

G – Guillen 29 pass from Ibarra (Sosa kick), 8:20.

G – Ibarra 1 run (Sosa kick), 2:20.

G – Guillen 37 pass from Ibarra (Sosa kick), 1:51.

THIRD QUARTER

G – Ibarra 14 run (Sosa kick), 4:41.

E – Ross 10 run (Moya kick), :55.

G – Ibarra 90 run (Sosa kick), :25.

FOURTH QUARTER

G – Ibarra 16 run (Sosa kick), 9:04.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

G – Ibarra, 19-265, 5 TDs.

E – Chacon, 4-41.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

G – Ibarra, 4-8-1, 86, 2 TDs.

E – C. Brown, 19-30-3, 178, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

G – Guillen, 2-35, 1 TD.

E – O’Daly, 5-77, 1 TD.