Eagles start with win

Being an athletic director at Estancia High has its advantages for football coach Mike Bargas.

Bargas liked what he saw on the soccer field last year from then-sophomore Andy Martinez. He liked it even more when he heard that Martinez wanted to come out for football.

“He said, ‘Coach, I want to play,’” Bargas recalled. “And I said, ‘All right, I’ll have you kick.’ And he goes, ‘No, I want to be on the field.’”

Martinez did a little bit of everything Thursday night for the Eagles, who earned a 44-20 victory over Loara in their season opener at Jim Scott Stadium.

Martinez converted five of six point-after kicks, as well as a 29-yard field goal. He also shined on the defensive line and at fullback, where he had five carries for 51 yards.

“He’s a big guy, and he’s powerful,” Bargas said. “Andy’s got an infectious attitude and he loves being out here on the football team … He doesn’t have bad habits right now because he has no habits.”

The habit that Bargas likes is that the Eagles won their third straight season opener, and seventh in his 10-year tenure. Each of the three wins in the streak have come against the Saxons. It didn’t look so easy in the first half, which was close throughout. But Estancia used some defense to jump-start its offense.

Junior linebacker Hunter Mensinger blew up a screen pass late in the first quarter, stripping the ball from the receiver. It was recovered by Estancia junior lineman Jay Enciso at the Loara 12-yard line.

A play later, the Eagles had the lead, as senior quarterback Eric Carrasco threaded a pass through traffic to senior receiver Trevor Brown.

Carrasco, a transfer from Costa Mesa High a year ago, mostly did what he wanted in the first half, completing 14 of 17 passes for 193 yards and the touchdown. It was his execution of the two-minute drill that gave the Eagles a 21-7 halftime lead, after Carrasco led the team on a seven-play, 91-yard drive. After a pass to Tyler Ross set up first-and-goal at the one, Carrasco carried it in himself with 30 seconds left in the half.

He also had the Eagles’ final touchdown, again on a short run of two yards in the fourth quarter.

Senior running back Jordan Balcazar had 12 carries for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 65-yard scamper up the middle midway through the third quarter gave the hosts a 30-13 advantage.

Enciso had two quarterback sacks to lead the defensive effort for Estancia, which dealt Loara its 12th straight loss dating back to 2014. Senior receiver Pedro Zamora led the visitors with a pair of touchdown passes from senior quarterback Frankie Nocella, scoring plays that went for 31 and 32 yards, respectively.

Bargas said his team needs to cut down on the penalties, as six of the seven called against Estancia came in the first half. But overall, he was happy with the effort.

“It’s great when you come out winning, you score points and you play pretty good defense,” Bargas said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get pressure on quarterbacks and get some sacks. I think our guys did a good job preparing, we’re just a little bit rusty like everybody else coming out in the first game. But to get the victory, have guys step up and be able to get the little guys some reps as well was really nice.”

Bargas said he hopes more soccer players come out for football in the future. Martinez, who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 240 pounds, proved to be a load for Loara to handle. On his first carry, he rumbled for 28 yards.

“First year, [and he’s] flying like he’s been doing this all his life,” Balcazar said with a smile when asked about his teammate. “You know, who says big guys can’t run?”

Estancia 44, Loara 20

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Loa 0 – 7 – 6 – 7 — 20

Est 7 – 14 – 9 – 14 — 44

FIRST QUARTER

Est – Brown 12 pass from Carrasco (Martinez kick), 4:08.

SECOND QUARTER

Loa – Zamora 32 pass from Nocella (Guzman kick), 10:16.

Est – Balcazar 7 run (Martinez kick), 6:25.

Est – Carrasco 1 run (Martinez kick), 0:30.

THIRD QUARTER

Est – Martinez 29 FG, 9:38.

Est – Balcazar 65 run (kick failed), 7:28.

Loa – Zamora 31 pass from Nocella (kick failed), 5:22.

FOURTH QUARTER

Est – Ross 1 run (Martinez kick), 10:45.

Est – Carrasco 2 run (Martinez kick), 5:24.

Loa – Paniagua 11 pass from Blackney (Guzman kick), 0:10.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Est – Balcazar, 12-104, 2 TDs.

Loa – Cherco, 7-35.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Est – Carrasco, 17-22-0, 227, 1 TD.

Loa – Nocella, 6-12-0, 84, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Est – Ross, 8-102.

Loa – Zamora, 2-63, 2 TDs.