Eagles still hungry

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The Estancia High football team enjoyed the

traditional postgame rib dinner which goes with winning the annual

intra-city rivalry with Costa Mesa.

But, as Coach Dave Perkins and a host of his seniors realize, the

postseason banquet is still more than a month away. And, beginning with

Friday’s 7 p.m. Pacific Coast League clash with Laguna Beach at Orange

Coast College, the Eagles hope to have more to talk about than just

winning the Victory Bell.

“Everyone was very happy about the (Costa Mesa) win and it was a big

deal,” Perkins said of a 34-14 league-opening triumph, which upped his

team’s record to 4-2 and earned it the No. 10 ranking in CIF Southern

Section Division IX. “But our seniors have done a nice job of making sure

we focus on Laguna Beach (3-3, 0-1 in league).”

Coach Dave Holland’s Artists, who enter on a three-game losing streak,

are worthy of concern, particularly since they’ve beaten the Eagles three

of the last five years, representing 75% of the Artists’ PCL victories

during that span.

“Laguna Beach will be at full speed for us,” Perkins said. “They have to

win to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.

“But our kids remember last year (a 17-10 win for the Artists) and it’s

our homecoming. We think we have a legitimate shot to be the league

champions and if we’re able to win Friday, we’ll be the only team that is

2-0 in league, which puts us in a good position.”

Whatever position the Eagles have attained is due largely to the talents

of senior Marshall Hendricks.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior Edison High transfer has 1,042 rushing

yards, five interceptions, 13 touchdowns and 1,266 all-purpose yards.

Hendricks rolled for 240 rushing yards and three TDs against Mesa,

drawing within 432 yards of breaking James Dawkins’ school single-season

record of 1,473 yards set in 1996.

Paving the way for Hendricks, as well as fullbacks Matt Mueller and Fahad

Jahid and wingback Sean Freeman, is a veteran line which has allowed the

Eagles to pile up more than 86% of their 1,748 offensive yards on the

ground.

Tackles Josh Veach and Robert Aguilera, guards Kyle Westman and Cesar

Romero, center Tim Valdez and tight end Griffin Crogan, will battle a

Laguna Beach defense which yielded 325 yards in a 28-7 loss to Corona del

Mar last week.

In addition, Perkins hopes junior quarterbacks Jeremy Valdes and Kenny

Valbuena can throw effectively enough to keep the Artists from stacking

the line with defenders.

Laguna Beach is keyed on both sides of the ball by seniors Ryan

Schissler, Pat Chesley and Travis Loidolt.

Chesley, a tailback who was second-team All-PCL last fall, has 586

rushing yards and has scored seven touchdowns. He also has 16 receptions

for 179 yards.

Schissler, a second-team All-PCL quarterback as a junior, has completed

36 of 62 for 433 yards and two touchdowns, with just two interceptions in

four games. He also helps spearhead the defense at safety.

Loidolt, a first-team All-PCL tight end as a junior, is recovering from a

back injury which forced him to miss two games and limited his

effectiveness against CdM. He has 10 receptions for 124 yards and also

has four interceptions from his linebacker spot.

Estancia’s defense is keyed by Westman, Veach and David Rodriguez up

front, as well as linebackers Mueller, Jahid, Romero, Freeman and Andy

Romo. Hendricks is joined in the secondary by John Alderete and Freddy

Rodriguez.

This opportunistic group has helped Estancia build a plus-nine turnover

ratio.

Holland, in his fourth season at Laguna after 20 as head coach at CdM, is

13-9-1 against Estancia in his career. The Eagles, however, lead the

series with the Artists, 8-6.