Two-minute drill: Crenshaw to sit out game

COSTA MESA

•Costa Mesa High will be without the services of standout senior Oronde Crenshaw for at least this week.

Crenshaw said he suffered a right high ankle sprain and a bone bruise on top of the foot during the Mustangs’ 24-6 win against Santiago at Garden Grove High last week. The running back suffered the injuries during a run early in the second quarter.

Crenshaw returned later in the quarter, only to leave again after two carries.

“Nothing major,” Crenshaw said on Tuesday. “Just a helmet to the ankle is all.

“I will be back to normal next week.”

Crenshaw rushed 16 times for 100 yards and one touchdown against Santiago. As a linebacker, he forced a fumble and produced four tackles for Costa Mesa (1-1).

Coach Wally Grant said Crenshaw had a bum right Achilles’ heel going into the game. After the game, Grant said he expected Crenshaw, who missed the second half against Santiago, to be ready for the Mustangs’ home opener against Katella (1-0) at Jim Scott Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m.

“I only suited up 24 kids, so I have to be real careful with, you know, where we’re at, who’s hurt and who’s banged, and get them 100% healthy, so we’re good for our [Orange Coast League schedule],” said Grant, adding that he liked that Crenshaw’s backups in the backfield, Jason Garcia and Mason Mataafu, got work in.

Garcia rushed 11 times for 32 yards and Mataafu eight times for 21 yards.

Grant said Quinton Bell, a senior receiver and linebacker, could’ve played against Santiago. Bell has sat out the first two games with a hip-flexor injury.

While Crenshaw is out, Bell might return this week.

“[I’m] only good because of the other 10 men around [me],” said Crenshaw, who has rushed 45 times for 227 yards and three touchdowns, and returned three kickoffs for touchdowns. “[I’m] definitely not a one-man gang.”

•The Mustangs were 4.6 seconds away from recording their first shutout since Oct. 21, 2011.

On the game’s final play, Costa Mesa gave up a 15-yard touchdown pass to Santiago as time expired.

Costa Mesa’s defense played lights out, recovering three fumbles, intercepting two passes and forcing two turnovers on downs.

•Costa Mesa hasn’t had much success in the first week of the season in recent years, but it sure knows how to bounce back in the second game.

The Mustangs got past Santiago, giving them their first win of the season and third in as many years against the Cavaliers in the second game of the year.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza

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CORONA DEL MAR

•Dating back to last year, Corona del Mar High has reeled off 12 straight wins.

The Sea Kings extended their school-best winning streak with a 35-14 triumph at Laguna Hills last week.

CdM, the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division poll, improved to 2-0 this year. The Sea Kings have outscored their opponents, 70-14.

CdM is the lone team from the Pacific Coast League to beat the Hawks since 2006. The Sea Kings earned a win via forfeit last year against Laguna Hills after the Hawks used an ineligible player in the game.

Laguna Hills has a 24-2-1 record against Pacific Coast League teams in the last seven years.

•CdM is on the road for the second straight week when it plays El Toro (1-1) at Trabuco Hills High on Friday at 7 p.m.

El Toro picked up its first win of the year by getting past host Capistrano Valley, 23-6, last week.

El Toro, which placed second in the South Coast League last year behind powerhouse Mission Viejo, starts a three-game stretch in which it faces teams that made section title appearances last year. CdM won the Southern Division and Palos Verdes the Northern Division, while Villa Park finished runner-up in the Southwest Division.

El Toro has defeated the Sea Kings in five of the past six matchups. The programs last met in 2007 during nonleague play.

The Sea Kings last knocked off El Toro in 1998, when the schools played in the Sea View League.

•The Sea Kings’ defense didn’t allow Laguna Hills to cross midfield until the 1:36 mark in the second quarter. A 15-yard helmet-to-helmet penalty on a punt return put the Hawks on CdM’s 32 and they went on to score a touchdown.

The Sea Kings only gave up 147 offensive yards (106 passing, 41 rushing) to Laguna Hills, which shared the Sea View League crown last season. The Sea Kings are only allowing 43 rushing yards per game this season.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza

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NEWPORT HARBOR

•There was little secret who is the favorite receiver of Newport Harbor High junior quarterback Cole Norris. Senior Quest Truxton hauled in Norris’ first four completions in Friday’s 35-20 nonleague loss at Trabuco Hills and by halftime had eight of Norris’ 12 completions for all but 18 of the Sailors’ 144 passing yards.

Truxton was also a force on defense and special teams. He intercepted a pass to set up the Tars’ final touchdown, returned kickoffs 42 and 41 yards and had a pair of 15-yard punt returns.

Truxton finished with nine receptions for 129 yards, including touchdown catches of 14 and 33 yards.

•Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley, in his 28th season, has helped his Sailors forge a reputation as a consistently productive running team. But the running game was anything but strong against Trabuco Hills.

Only one of the Sailors’ 24 running plays produced more than six yards and the longest rushing gain was nine yards.

Including an errant punt snap that lost 25 yards, Newport Harbor produced just four rushing yards against the Mustangs. Further, the visitors had just one rushing first down.

•The loss for Newport Harbor was its third straight in a season opener, the longest streak under Brinkley and the second-longest opening losing streak in program history. Newport Harbor lost five straight openers from 1978 through 1982.

The 35 points allowed tied the most allowed in an opener by the Sailors. Trabuco Hills posted a 35-14 win in the Tars’ 2011 opener and Marina posted a 35-3 triumph in 1981.

— Barry Faulkner

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ESTANCIA

•The Estancia High football team had gotten used to easily winning its season openers. The Eagles had won three straight season-openers under Coach Mike Bargas by a combined score of 128-0.

But the tables were turned Friday night at Glover Stadium in Anaheim. The Eagles were blanked by Loara, 35-0.

It was just the third time Estancia had been shut out in Bargas’ seven-year tenure. And after the game, Bargas made sure to give credit to Loara, but it was clear that his young team needed improvement. He talked about putting out a better product on the field.

“We made a lot of foolish mistakes,” Bargas said. “We’ve got to go back and shore those things up, otherwise we’re going to be in trouble ... The thing that concerns me is that a couple of times we went out there and didn’t have the right personnel. We kind of pride ourselves on making sure we’re organized with that stuff.”

The Eagles have a chance to improve in their home opener at Jim Scott Stadium on Thursday night, against an Ocean View squad that lost to Marina, 33-14, in its season opener.

•Junior running back Christian Laurent was a positive for Estancia, rushing 23 times for 130 yards. The transfer from Edison nearly scored on the game’s final play, but he was stopped on the two-yard line.

As the passing game struggled, Laurent provided most of the Eagles’ big-play ability in the contest, with eight runs of 10 yards or more.

“He’s going to be OK,” Bargas said. “It’s new for him, as far as being with us, but I think he’s going to be adequate.

Another junior, Indiana Taylor, also helped Estancia on special teams. Taylor, also a cornerback, got plenty of chances to return kickoffs as Loara scored five touchdowns.

He totaled six kickoff returns for 102 yards. That included four separate kickoff returns of 24 yards each.

— Matt Szabo