Prep football: No backing down

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - First-year Estancia High football coach Jay Noonan

went out on a limb for his players after Friday’s 21-6 loss to crosstown

rival Costa Mesa in the Battle for the Bell at Orange Coast College.

And, after declaring the Eagles would avenge this year’s loss the next

three seasons, he hopes it’s ribs -- the annual postgame treat enjoyed by

the Costa Mesa-Estancia winner -- and not his own words he’ll be eating

when these two renew their rivalry in the Golden West League next fall.

“I don’t regret anything I said and I don’t retract anything,” said

Noonan, who was openly critical last week of players who transferred from

Estancia to Mesa last summer, as well as Costa Mesa Coach Dave Perkins,

his predecessor at Estancia.

“If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, to me, it’s a duck,”

Noonan said. “I didn’t say those things to be insulting, but because I

think they are true, regardless of the way others want to spin things.”

Though refusing to back down, Noonan admitted one specific reference

to blitzing the Mustangs up and down the field was intended to throw off

Mesa’s offensive game plan.

“I said we’d line up and blitz against them and we didn’t,” Noonan

said. “I wanted (Perkins) to take the bait.”

Though falling to 0-7, 0-3 in the Pacific Coast League, Noonan said he

was extremely proud of the effort his players gave against the Mustangs.

“I thought our defense had its best game,” Noonan said. “(Defensive

coordinator) Scott Wilkie called a great defensive game. We contained

their passing game very well. There were some things we did not do well,

but, considering the way we had to replace a couple kids who were

injured, I felt very good about our defense.”

Noonan said senior Eric Anderson, playing in his first Battle for the

Bell, and sophomore Tim Bates, also new to the rivalry having transferred

in from Elsinore, led a pass rush that produced four sacks.

Noonan credited senior cornerback Jermaine Snell, a Fountain Valley

transfer, for helping limit the Mesa passing game to only two completions

for 32 yards.

Noonan said he was also pleased with only one lost fumble from his

veer option offense.

“We had some chances,” he said. “We should have scored on our first

drive, we made some youthful mistakes in our passing game (resulting in

two interceptions), and the fumble we lost set them up.”

Noonan said a dislocated hip suffered by senior inside linebacker

Mario Macias was the most serious injury his team sustained. But he hopes

Macias can return as soon as this week, when the Eagles square off

against University, Thursday at Irvine High.

Raymond Romua, who was tended to for several minutes on the field,

returned to the game later and will be fine.

Joey Mueller “had his eggs scrambled,” according to Noonan, referring

to a mild head injury which he does not expect to sideline the senior

linebacker this week.