Football: Eagles rally to win
The powder keg the Estancia High football team was looking for over the first three quarters of Friday’s Orange Coast League clash with visiting Laguna Beach finally detonated in the final period.
Just in time, as it turned out, to lead the Eagles to a 17-6, come-from-behind victory that keeps Coach Mike Bargas’ squad in the driver’s seat for the league title.
Estancia (6-2, 3-0 in league), ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division, was ignited by sophomore Dylan Laurent, who compiled 68 of his 112 rushing yards in the final 12 minutes. The 5-foot-152-pound dynamo bolted up the middle for scoring runs of 22 and 12 yards, the latter with 3:03 left in the game to clinch a victory that Bargas said was much tougher than expected.
“Laguna played well and we didn’t,” Bargas said of the Breakers (1-7, 0-3), who had thumped the Eagles the previous two seasons and were looking like they still had the hosts’ number once again over the first 36-plus minutes.
“My hat’s off to [the Breakers], but we just stunk up the place,” Bargas said. “We were lucky to get the victory, to be honest. We played when we needed to and Dylan broke some nice runs. We were out of sync and out of tempo [the first three quarters] and that almost bit us. We came out so flat in the first half and the beginning of the third quarter. I took a couple chances when we were in the red zone, because sometimes you have to roll the dice a little bit to get a spark. We needed a keg of dynamite to get us rolling tonight.”
In addition to Laurent’s explosive running during crunch time, the Estancia defense deserves much of the credit. The Eagles held on downs on the Breakers’ final three possessions, including stopping a toss play just a foot from the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the one with 32 seconds left.
Senior linebacker Ronnie Urquiza also recovered a fumble early in the second quarter to halt another Breakers’ possession and the visitors also punted three times.
“Defense kept us in the game,” Bargas said. “They did a great job.”
Linebacker Tyler Thomas helped lead the hosts, who have won five straight and have now failed to allow a touchdown the last two games.
Other standouts included Laurent at cornerback, the front four of tackles Dorian Navarette and Colby Arnesdorf, and ends Jason Jones and Kevin Valencia. Additional contributors were linebacker D.J. Davis, safeties Christian Laurent and Tyler Ross, as well as cornerback Dalton O’Daly.
A botched reception of a bounding opening kickoff was recovered by the Breakers to set up their first field goal, a 32-yarder by Jake Smith just more than two minutes in.
After Christopher Moya’s 32-yard field goal tied it late in the first quarter, Laguna Beach drove to the Estancia 11, before eventually settling for a 41-yard Smith field goal to regain the lead with 9:30 left in the first half.
The Breakers clung to their narrow lead until Dylan Laurent capped a seven-play, 80-yard march with his 22-yard bolt on the third play of the final quarter.
Dylan Laurent carried six times on an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that he capped from 12 yards out.
Bargas went for it on fourth-and-10 at the Breakers’ 33 early in the second quarter, but the quarterback was sacked. On fourth-and-goal from the six-yard line midway through the second quarter, a pass went just beyond a receiver in the corner of the end zone.
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Estancia 17, Laguna Beach 6
SCORE BY QUARTERS
LB 3 – 0 – 3 – 0 – 6
Estancia 0 – 3 – 0 – 14 – 17
FIRST QUARTER
LB – Smith 32 FG, 9:59.
SECOND QUARTER
Est – Moya 32 FG, 8:19.
THIRD QUARTER
LB – Smith 41 FG, 9:30.
FOURTH QUARTER
Est – D. Laurent 22 run (Perez kick), 11:04.
Est – D. Laurent 12 run (Perez kick), 3:03.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
LB – Knill, 6-61.
Est – D. Laurent, 16-112, 2 TDs.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING’
LB – Simon, 7-15-0, 98.
Est – C. Brown, 4-10-0, 66.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
LB – Tracy, 4-71.
Est – Jackson, 2-27, O’Daly, 1-34.