Football: EAGLES RING MUSTANGS’ BELL

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - What a difference a year makes.

After three-straight dominating losses to rival Costa Mesa High,

including a 52-0 trouncing last year, Estancia High returns the favor

with a stunning 34-14 triumph over the Mustangs Friday night at Orange

Coast College.

“This win is not only for our players, but for all the parents and

supporters who have stayed with us through the good times and the bad,” a

hug-happy Dave Perkins said to the huddled Eagles’ faithful on the field

after the game.

“We had to play a great game tonight and we were fortunate enough to

do it.”

Not only was this the Pacific Coast League opener for both clubs, but,

more importantly for those associated with the game, it was the annual

“Battle for the Bell.”

Marshall Hendricks, who got to taste the rivalry for the first time in

his prep career, rushed for 240 yards on 25 carries, with three

touchdowns for the Eagles (4-2, 1-0).

Despite his newness to the rivalry, the Edison High transfer

understood the importance of beating the intra-city rival.

“When you come to a new school, you have to acclimate yourself to

everything that’s part of the school,” Hendricks said. “The school pride,

the rivalries, all of that. And believe me, I felt the rivalry tonight.”

In a matchup of two of the top running backs in Orange County, both

Hendricks and Mustangs’ tailback C.J. Zuniga did not disappoint.

Zuniga rushed for 203 yards on 14 carries and had both touchdowns for

Costa Mesa (4-2, 0-1).

“Costa Mesa is a great football team and both teams wanted this win

very bad tonight,” Perkins said. “We managed to take advantage of better

field position and some penalties that went against them.”

Costa Mesa was flagged 10 times for 125 yards, most of those yards

came in chunks of 15.

In fact, penalties were a factor to the Mustangs on the opening

kickoff, as Zuniga took the first touch of the ball 56 yards, deep into

Eagles’ territory, but the run was called back on a holding penalty.

Costa Mesa managed to regroup, drove 69 yards on 10 plays and scored

on a Zuniga run from one-yard out.

A Mustangs’ fumble gave Estancia the ball in excellent field position

and Hendricks scored six plays later on a 6-yard run to tie the score.

A costly roughing-the-kicker penalty on fourth down for Costa Mesa,

enabled the Eagles to extend their next possession and allowed them to

find the end zone once again.

After Hendricks got the Eagles close, Matt Mueller muscled it in from

a yard out to give Estancia a 14-7 lead, a lead they took into the locker

room at halftime.

“In a game of this magnitude, it’s important to keep your poise out

there and I felt we did a good job of that tonight,” Perkins said. “At

halftime, we felt we were in control of the game and I told the guys to

grab hold of our emotions and to play under control.”

Junior Andy Romo added an extra spark for the Eagles on the opening

second-half kickoff, returning the ball 41 yards to Costa Mesa’s 41 yard

line.

“Romo played unbelievably well tonight,” Perkins said. “His run really

got us going in the second half.”

Hendricks took it from there. He went wide, found an opening and shot

through the Mustangs’ defense 41 yards to the end zone.

“I give all the credit in the world to the offensive line,” Hendricks

said. “They played huge for us tonight and really opened up some holes

for me out there.”

Mesa drove down to the Eagles’ 11 yard line on its first drive of the

second half, but was stopped one-yard short on a fourth-down run by

inside linebacker Fahad Jahid.

Two plays later, Hendricks put the dagger in the Mustangs’ back with

an 89-yard run down the sidelines to extend the Eagles’ lead to 26-7.

Zuniga was a one-man offensive machine for the Mustangs, with 284

yards of total offense, 51 of those yards coming on Costa Mesa following

drive, which ended on a 5-yard touchdown run by the junior running back,

cutting the lead to 26-14.

Mesa defensive tackle Daniel Hunter prevented another Eagles score

with an interception off a deflected pass, giving the Mustangs one last

hope.

But Romo came up big again, intercepting a Mustangs’ pass and giving

the Eagles field position again inside Mustangs territory.

Three plays later, with the chant, “We want the Bell....We want the

bell...” echoing throughout the stadium from the Eagles’ fans, senior

Sean Freeman slammed up the middle 14 yards for a touchdown. The

two-point conversion was successful and the game, for all purposes, was

over.

For all the Eagles’ seniors, especially offensive tackle Kyle Westman,

the game was extra-special, having not beaten the Mustangs in his entire

Eagle career.

“This one makes up for the last three, without a doubt,” Westman said.

“We started at Fresno State in June in 100-degree heat and continued all

the way to right now.”

And somewhere, a slightly pudgy, cheerful gentleman in a red jacket

and big mustache is grinning from ear to ear on this one.

“Paul Troxel is still having an impact on this ball club. We felt him

here tonight,” Westman said. “He’s all around this team and I’m sure he’s

loving every minute of it.”