Prep football: Familiar faces

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - For the first time in Coach Dave Perkins’ three-year

tenure, name tags are not necessary at Estancia High spring football

practice.

“We don’t really have too many questions, because we know our kids,” said

Perkins, who kicked off spring drills Monday.

“And whatever questions we do have, they’ll be answered at camp.”

The camp of which Perkins speaks is a one-week full-contact summer

session at Occidental College, June 29-July 2. It’s similar to the camp

the Eagles attended at Fresno State last season and Perkins believes it

will give his team an edge in preparation for the first season of the new

millennium.

That preparation will include workouts Monday-Thursday this week,

Tuesday-Thursday next week, and Monday-Thursday the following two weeks.

It will culminate with a team competition June 16.

With personnel issues largely determined, Perkins said he and his staff

are concentrating on implementing more of the wing T offense and double

flex defense they initiated for last season.

“There isn’t much extra we can add to our running game, but we want to

make progress in our passing game,” said Perkins, who said returners

Kenny Valbuena, Jeremy Valdes and A.J. Perkins will battle for the

starting nod at quarterback.

“Defensively, there is more we can put in.”

Perkins estimated 75 kids are going through the paces and he is very

encouraged by their attitude.

“It’s a unique group of great kids and we’re very excited,” Perkins said.

“These kids live, eat and sleep football. We have to kick them out of

here at the end of the day. We’ve had kids hanging around the office

watching film until 5 p.m. every day in the off-season.”

In addition to the many returners, Perkins said Edison transfer Shane

McGuire, and 6-foot-5, 280-pound newcomer Sergio Perez, have been welcome

additions.

“McGuire is mature, strong, fast and a real great kid,” Perkins said of

the senior-to-be, who played at Estancia as a freshman, before moving to

Huntington Beach. “He should do some of the stuff Marshall (Hendricks,

who collected 1,963 all-purpose yards, including a school single-season

record 1,477 rushing yards) did for us last year.”

Perez, who will be a senior and has not played football previously, has

shown good mobility and athleticism, according to Perkins. “He could step

in for Kyle Westman (All-CIF as a senior last fall) at right tackle.”

The Eagles are working to improve upon a 6-4 season, which did not

include a trip to the CIF Southern Section Division IX playoffs. They

have not been to the playoffs since 1995.

The June 16 competition will include backs and receivers squaring off in

seven-on-seven drills. Linemen will conduct a competition of their own.