Estancia football blanks rival Costa Mesa, earns third straight Battle for the Bell win

Estancia's Jeff Brown (22) runs for big gain during the annual Battle for the Bell football game on Friday night.

By Matt SzaboStaff Writer

Aug. 31, 2024 3:31 PM PT

The Estancia and Costa Mesa high school football teams are not used to playing each other in Week One.

But with the Orange Coast League no longer in existence, the cross-town rivals split ways this year. Estancia finds itself in the Sigma League, while Costa Mesa is in the Tango League.

The teams matched up earlier than usual on Friday night at Jim Scott Stadium.

As it turns out, ribs taste just as good in August as they do later in the fall.

Estancia made the plays when it needed to pull out a 13-0 victory, its third straight Battle for the Bell win.

Costa Mesa's Govern Nguyen (4) brings down Estancia's Brandon Bettinghausen (6) during the annual Battle for the Bell.

The Eagles (1-0) rode a dominant ground game to the win, as junior running back Jeff Brown had 218 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. Then, they rode to Newport Rib Co., for the customary meal awarded to the champion of the rivalry game.

“I’m just glad to get the win and get this off our back,” Estancia coach Mike Bargas said. “There’s a lot of emotion, a lot of periphery stuff. I’m just happy that we won again. It’s nice to come out of this thing with a win.”

Bargas said the team calls Brown “CMC Westside,” a nod to San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey and playing on the westside of Costa Mesa.

Both have blonde hair. McCaffrey will be a consensus No. 1 pick in fantasy football drafts this Labor Day weekend.

“I think he is a big inspiration,” said Brown, listed at 5-foot-9, just two inches shorter than the NFL star. “He’s obviously one of the best running backs in the league. I’m not a Niners fan, but I can still respect him.”

Estancia head coach Mike Bargas leads his team into the second half against

It was easy to respect the rushing attack of the Eagles. Brown ran behind an offensive line consisting of left tackle Gustavo Rodriguez Mora, left guard Roland Bennett, center Roberto Moreno, right guard Braulio Aragon and right tackle Erney Casillas.

“We had some gaps open, and he’s a slasher,” Bargas said. “That’s pretty cool to see. We tried to expose them for where their weaknesses were at, and he did a nice job. The line also stepped up too, they were pretty confident out there.”

Costa Mesa (1-1) actually threatened to strike first, putting together a drive on its opening possession highlighted by a 35-yard pass from junior quarterback Andrew Waiss to senior receiver Logan Glabb. But a 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Estancia senior Jorge Castor Cortinas.

The Eagles went 80 yards on their ensuing drive, capped by a three-yard touchdown run from Brown.

Costa Mesa quarterback Andrew Waiss throws during annual Battle for the Bell football game against rival Estancia High.

Costa Mesa’s Xavier Bennett recovered a muffed punt near midfield later in the second quarter, but the Mustangs were unable to score. The visitors committed nine penalties in the first half alone, negating a running attack that was solid with sophomore back Gavin Garza.

“We shot ourselves in the foot so many times,” Costa Mesa coach Gary Gonzalez said. “We could move the ball on them, but it was penalty after penalty. You can’t do that against a team like them. They’re well-coached, and it’s a rivalry game, the energy is high on both sides. We’ve got to play a good game to beat those guys. The message this week was to really dial it in and execute, and I don’t think we were able to execute as good as we could.”

Brown ran it in from 11 yards out early in the fourth quarter. Though the conversion kick was missed, the insurance score was more than enough for the Eagles, who drove into the red zone at the end of the game before going into victory formation on the final play.

Costa Mesa's Xavier Bennett (21) and Vance Kirby (18) recover a fumble by Estancia during Friday night's game.

Estancia senior quarterback Heriberto Sanchez Martinez had junior Bennett Molica as his favorite target. Sanchez Martinez also displayed the ability to scramble, tallying 31 yards on three carries.

“He’s a new quarterback, so we had to adjust a lot to his ability to roll out of the pocket and throw the ball,” said Estancia senior receiver and team captain Joseph Zarate Groth. “He managed to handle the pressure very well. He’s got wheels. We didn’t even know he had them, either.”

The shutout victory meant Estancia got to ring the bell after the game and gather momentum from its first game of the season. The Eagles play at Katella on Thursday.

Costa Mesa running back Gavin Garza (5) tries to side-step tackles by Estancia's Jorge Cortinas (8) and Steve Sanchez (58).

Costa Mesa will try to rebound as it hosts Godinez on Friday.

Zarate Groth said that his freshman year, he and his classmates saw Estancia lose the Bell game to Costa Mesa.

“We felt that experience with them,” he said. “We never wish that upon anybody at Estancia. Even if we don’t like ribs, it’s good to know that they’re not going to be the ones eating the ribs.”