Host Seahawks soar past Eagles

HUNTINGTON BEACH — It didn’t add up to victory, but Estancia High football coach Mike Bargas liked the effort he saw from his Eagles on Friday.

Estancia fell behind early and trailed Ocean View from the outset of the nonleague game, and despite some big plays on both sides of the ball, the Eagles were able to thread throughout the contest, butwere saddled with a 27-8 defeat.

“I’m really proud of our guys and the way that they played,” Bargas said. “It doesn’t feel good to lose, but I saw some progress out there and I thought our kids played hard. I’m pleased with their effort.”

Estancia, which dropped its third straight game to conclude nonleague play at 2-4, dug itself in a hole right off the bat and never was able to recover.

On the third play from scrimmage, Eagles quarterback Radames Gutierrez appeared to have been dropped for a seven-yard loss by Ocean VIew linebacker David Garay. On a bang-bang play, Gutierrez fumbled before being dragged down and the Seahawks’ David Zarate scooped up the loose ball and went 20 yards for the game’s first score. The point after failed but Ocean View had a 6-0 lead just 1:40 into the game.

“That was a tough way to start the game,” Bargas said. “I thought Radames was down but I guess he wasn’t.”

Ocean View (3-2) also got a 13-yard scoring run from Kyle Walker midway through the quarter. The run completed a 96-yard march that took just seven plays and increased the Seahawks’ lead to 13-0.

Ocean View mounted the drive after Eagles’ kicker Eli Diego came up with a 52-yard effort on his first punt.

Estancia looked like it might answer Ocean View’s score on its ensuing possession. A 21-yard run by Carlos Mendez took the Eagles down to the Ocean View 25-yard line but the drive stalled at the 20 and Diego’s 37-yard field-goal attempt hit the the top of the right upright and bounced away with 2:49 left in the quarter.

A sack by sophomore Omar Gutierrez on Ocean View’s next possession helped Estancia get the ball back in prime field position at the Ocean View 32. But three plays netted nothing and, on fourth down, Ramades Gutierrez was sacked by Kenny Tarpley to end the threat.

Estancia’s defense stood tall after the Seahawks had reached the Eagles’ three-yard line in the second quarter. On first-and-goal, Fermin Marquez and Alec Kirshner teamed to stop Walker at the one. On second down, Omar Gutierrez stacked up Walker for no gain and on third-and-goal from the one, Jason Moreno broke up a pass in the end zone.

Ocean View intended to go for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal but consecutive motion penalties pushed the ball back 10 yards and the Seahawks ended up settling for a 28-yard field goal by Blake Hitchcock to make it 16-0 with 7:05 to play in the half.

The Seahawks took that lead into the locker room.

“Our defense really was moving around out there and that was great to see,” Bargas said. “We had several guys come up with some great plays. “Omar (Gutierrez) is just a 10th-grader but he gives it 100% all the time. I also thought Ryan Longoria did a real nice job on defense, too.”

Walker stung the Eagles right after halftime as he gathered in the second-half kickoff at his own 10 and went straight up the middle for a 90-yard touchdown return. On the apparent point-after attempt, Nolan Tippy, the Ocean View quarterback who also serves as the holder on PATs, took the snap and hit Garay with a two-point pass play to increase the lead to 24-0.

The Eagles couldn’t contain Ocean View’s 5-foot-6 senior running back who went on to rush for 228 yards on 32 carries.

Estancia, which was shut out, 17-0, last week by La Quinta of Westminster, got on the scoreboard with 11:28 left when Kirshner, who took over for Radames Gutierrez at quarterback with 1:32 to play in the third quarter, hit Brian Linares on a 20-yard scoring pass play. Kirshner then hit Diego on a two-point pass play to make it 24-8.

The scoring drive, which began Estancia’s own 10, was highlighted by a 59-yard sprint by Mendez down to the Ocean View 20 on a third-and-15 play. Mendez also topped the century mark rushing, getting 151 yards on 21 carries.

After a 30-yard field goal by Hitchcock gave Ocean View a 27-8 lead with 7:06 to play, Alex Abalos came up with a huge kickoff return for 54 yards to the Ocean View 31. But the Eagles got no closer than the 23-yard line before the drive fizzled and ended when Mendez was stopped by Ocean View’s Cody Afusia for no gain on fourth-and-two with 5:41 to play.

Estancia didn’t get the ball back until the final minute.

“We moved the ball on offense and we passed and caught the ball a lot better than we did last week,” Bargas said. “We just weren’t able to complete some drives. We’re a work in progress but I’m happy with what I saw from us tonight.”

Estancia will meet crosstown rival Costa Friday in the Orange Coast League opener for both teams.

OCEAN VIEW 27, ESTANCIA 8

Estancia 0-0-0-8---8

Ocean View 13-3-8-3---27

FIRST QUARTER

OV — Zarate 20 yard fumble return (kick failed), 10:20

OV — K. Walker 13 run (Hitchcock kick), 6:09

SECOND QUARTER

OV — Hitchcock 28 field goal, 7:05

THIRD QUARTER

OV — K. Walker 90 yard kickoff return (Hitchcock kick), 11:48

FOURTH QUARTER

Est. — NAME HERE 20 pass from Kirshner (Diego pass from Kirshner), 11:28

OV — Hitchcock 30 field goal, 7:06

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Est. — Mendez, 21-151; Abalos, 2-9; R. Gutierrez, 8 for minus-25.

OV — Walker, 32-228 1 TD; Garay, 1-15; Tippy, 3 for minus-9.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Est. — R. Gutierrez, 8-12, 45; Kirshner, 2-4, 42, 1 TD.

OV — N. Tippy, 3-11, 43.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Est. — Moreno, 4-41; Mendez, 2-14; Diego, 2-7; Carlisle, 1-5; Linares, 1-20, 1 TD.

OV — Tarpley, 2-20; To 1-23.

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