Briefs: Estancia’s Murtha earns OCL honor

Estancia High junior tailback Robert Murtha earned the Orange Coast League Offensive Player of the Year award in football for the second straight year after leading the program to new heights in league and in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Murtha rushed for 2,216 yards and 20 touchdowns and lifted the Eagles (10-3, 5-0 in league) to back-to-back undefeated league titles for the first time and to the semifinals of the Southern Division playoffs, the furthest the school has ever advanced in the postseason.

Estancia senior defensive end Andy Ugalde received the Lineman of the Year award after producing 13 sacks and 105 tackles. He also recovered three fumbles and caused two fumbles.

Estancia senior defensive tackle Alipa Peters shared the Defensive Player of the Year award after finishing with 104 tackles. Peters, a repeat first-team pick, sacked the quarterback four times, recovered two fumbles and caused two fumbles.

Murtha, Ugalde and Peters helped the Eagles win their first postseason game since 1980, win back-to-back postseason games for the first time, and post their second 10-win season.

Murtha, who broke Estancia’s single-season rushing record he set in 2010, has rushed for 3,895 yards and 39 touchdowns in two seasons. He is closing in on the Newport-Mesa career rushing record of 4,333 yards, which Costa Mesa’s Binh Tran established from 1991-93.

Other Eagles making the first team are senior quarterback Brad Wilson, senior offensive tackle Zach Bateman, junior cornerback Levi Stillman, senior outside linebacker Ozzy Magana, junior linebacker Colby Koste and junior defensive tackle Kevin Peters.

Bateman is a repeat first-team selection.

Wilson threw for 1,108 yards and 16 touchdowns, with four interceptions. He rushed for 324 yards and four touchdowns.

Stillman finished with five interceptions and broke up 12 pass attempts. He made 17 tackles.

Magana registered 95 tackles, eight for losses, two sacks, and returned one fumble for a touchdown.

Koste finished with 77 tackles and two sacks.

Kevin Peters had 87 tackles and one sack.

— From staff reports

Barkley honored

Newport Beach resident Matt Barkley, who had a record-setting junior season at the USC quarterback, has been named third-team All-American by the Associated Press.

The USC MVP, who was sixth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, was a second-team All-Pac-12 honoree. He set school single-season records for touchdown passes (39), completed 308 of 446 passes for 3,258 yards in 2011. He threw seven interceptions.

Barkley, a three-year starter, set single-game school records for completions (35), passing yards (468), touchdown passes (six) and total offense (470) and completion percentage (83.3%).

The former Newport-Mesa Junior All-American standout has yet to announce whether he will return for his senior year, or enter the NFL Draft.

— From staff reports

UCI’s Privett lauded

UC Irvine women’s midfielder Cami Privett, who had five goals and five assists for the Anteaters in 2012, has been named second-team freshman All-American by Soccer America.

Privett, the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year who had two game-winning goals to help UCI win its second straight Big West regular-season title and advance to the NCAA Tournament, posted her five goals with just 14 shots, nine of which were on goal.

— From staff reports

More UCI honors

UC Irvine seniors CoCo Goodson and Julie Christopher, who led the Anteaters to a second straight Big West Conference regular-season women’s soccer title, have been named first-team All-West Region by the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America.

Sophomore Natalie Ledezma and junior Sarah Devine represent UCI on the second and third team, respectively, while the Anteaters also captured the region’s Team Academic Award.

Goodson, an All-American as a junior and a two-time Big West Defender of the Year, had three goals and five assists to help UCI finish 14-4-3 and advance to first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Christopher, a three-time All-Big West performer, had four assists as a defensive midfielder.

Ledezma, a forward who transferred from UCLA, led UCI with 12 goals (three game-winners) and eight assists and was a first-team all-conference performer.

— From staff reports