Eagles ready for flight

In the summertime if someone had asked second-year Estancia High

freshman boys basketball coach Jason Simco if he would have expected

an 8-1 start, he would have probably said no. But not now.

Not with some pleasant surprises that continue to come for the

Eagles.

With a team that includes Dallas Koop, a 6-foot-3 center who

averages 16.5 points per game and took home Most Valuable Player

honors at the Garden Grove Tournament that Estancia won, to Corona

del Mar High transfer Michael McDaniels, a 6-1 power forward, Simco

has reason to be optimistic about what the future holds.

The Eagles beat Los Alamitos (58-30), Sage Hill (41-35), Valencia

(49-32) and Garden Grove (49-32), in the championship, during the

tournament.

“We have a bright group of kids that picks up on everything I

teach them,” said Simco, a first-team All-Pacific Coast League player

as a senior guard for Estancia during the 1999-2000 season. He was

also chosen to be on the Daily Pilot’s Dream Team that year.

Guard Frankie Bolanos has been “the biggest bright spot,”

according to Simco, who has also been impressed with Kalani Teo, who

stands at 6-1 and played running back on the Eagles’ freshman team in

the fall.

“(Teo) jumps the highest, runs the fastest and gets after it on

defense,” Simco said.

Estancia also features the brother guard-tandem of Scott and Shaun

Markley along with Alex La Grand, Victor Zalpa, Cordell Dickson,

Garrett McMasters, Anthony Montiel, Levi Pulizzi, Richard Mendez and

Adrian Ortega.

Shaun Markley (5-5) and Koop scored three and two points,

respectively, in the varsity team’s 76-29 win over Rancho Alamitos

Thursday in the first round of the Estancia Coast Classic. McDaniels

grabbed two rebounds in the Rancho Alamitos game and Scott Markley

saw action in the Eagles’ 62-51 victory over Anaheim in the

quarterfinals of the Coast Classic.

McDaniels provided clutch shooting in the Garden Grove Tournament

and Teo, Dickson and La Grand provided strength off the bench.

Simco plans on teaching the group man-to-man defense as Golden

West League play begins Monday at 3:30 p.m. against visiting

Westminster.

“Some of these kids have never played organized basketball so

we’re going to practice man-to-man defense because as they move on to

varsity, no team plays zone too often,” Simco said.

Mitch Valdes, who played as a senior for Estancia last season,

assists Simco.

“He’s been great,” Simco said. “He works well with the kids.

Patience is the biggest key.”

*

Newport Harbor High’s frosh-soph girls soccer team finished fourth

out of 16 teams in the Edison Charger Cup Dec. 21. For their finish,

the Sailors received a trophy and it will be displayed on campus.

Harbor lost to Dana Hills, 2-1, and 3-2 to Mission Viejo in a game

the Diablos scored their third goal in the final two minutes.

“I was happy that our players stuck to their game and stayed

focused despite any setbacks, said Newport Coach Josh Ruderman.

“We’ve been in every game, never losing by more than one goal.”