PREP FOOTBALL ’99 : PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE : Westman More Than Willing to Carry His Weight : Inspired by his older brother’s success on and off the field, offensive lineman makes the most of his opportunity at Estancia.

Estancia High’s Kyle Westman never had to look far for motivation.

Growing up in Costa Mesa, Westman watched his brother Mark help the Eagles win their most recent football league championship in 1989, when they finished the regular season 10-0 and won the Sea View title.

When Kyle arrived at Estancia in 1996, Mark’s name was emblazoned on the walls as the football team’s weightlifting record-holder.

Former Coach John Liebengood noticed Westman in his sophomore year glancing up at the board during a weightlifting session.

“He asked me if I was looking at Mark’s name and I said, ‘Yeah,’ ” Westman said. “He told me, ‘You’ll never lift that much.’ ”

If it was Liebengood’s way of lighting a fire under Westman, it worked. Kyle broke Mark’s record later that season.

Kyle is about to begin his third year as a starter on the offensive line and is drawing the attention of several Division I schools.

Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Nevada Las Vegas and Arizona are among the schools showing interest in the senior lineman, who is 6-3, 270 pounds.

Estancia Coach Dave Perkins thinks Westman has the tools to succeed at the next level.

Perkins, a 25-year coaching veteran, coached Upland’s Fred Perez in 1992 and Perez went on to play four years at Oregon State. Perkins said Westman is smaller than Perez but has better skills and could play center in college.

“At 6-3, he might not be big enough to play tackle or maybe not quick enough to play guard in college,” Perkins said. “But he’s a good athlete and can make the move to center.

But now, Westman hits the weight room regularly. And he plays racquetball frequently with Mark to help his quickness.

“Sometimes when kids get letters from colleges, they think they’ve got it made,” Perkins said. “Kyle became a maniac. He completely changed. He worked harder in the weight room, he got stronger, 10 pounds lighter and he’s quicker.

“He sees an opportunity and he doesn’t want to squander it.”

Westman leads a group of five returning starters on Estancia’s offensive line.

“The kids think they have a real chance to make the playoffs,” Perkins said.

And Westman said the Eagles also believe in their coach.

“Just the enthusiasm he brought, it was a breath of fresh air,” Westman said. “The team is closer now.

“I always asked my brother what their team had and what our team didn’t. I mean, it was frustrating the past two seasons and I kept asking when will we get our chance to win like that? Why can’t we do it?

“Mark always told me they played together as a team. That’s what has been great about this season so far. Everyone is coming together and we’re not putting people down.”

Although Westman was always around football, he didn’t begin his football career until he arrived at Estancia in 1996.

“I was always too big to play Pop Warner,” Westman said.

That size is paying dividends for Westman’s long-term future. But he wants to see some short-term team results on the field.

“We just want to start 1-0 and not 0-1,” Westman said, “and go from there. But we do want to win the league title.”

Tough talk for a guy whose team finished 1-9 last season.

Or maybe he’s looking for some more motivation.