All-out effort not enough, Eagles fall

Steve Virgen

There’s not much to say after losing a 42-0 homecoming game to

Golden West League visitor Orange Friday night. However, as cliche as

it may sound, Estancia High Coach Jay Noonan delivered postgame words

that reflected the effort of his players on the field at Orange Coast

College.

“The game was not about the score,” Noonan said. “I just ask for

their best effort. Take a look at these guys. They’re bleeding,

sweating and they’re hurting. They’re playing as hard as they can.

And, I’m a believer, if we keep working hard, things will change for

us.”

The Eagles (1-7, 0-5 in league) have lost 16 of their last 17 and

have scored 47 points in their eight games, about six points per

start. They could have given up at halftime because that’s when

Orange (4-4, 2-2) had basically wrapped up the decision.

The Panthers gained 189 rushing yards to Estancia’s 10, earned 12

first downs to the Eagles’ one and held the ball 16:50 of the first

half, leading to a 21-0 lead.

Estancia senior defensive back Lewis Bradshaw and junior

linebacker Mike Cahill prevented the damage from being worse.

Bradshaw stopped a scoring drive when he recorded an interception and

ran it back 13 yards to the his own 39-yard line with 2:56 left in

the first half.

However, the Eagles went three and out and sophomore Geo Macias

booted one of his five punts. The Panthers had no punts.

Three plays later, Cahill picked off a pass and returned it 25

yards to the Orange 11 with 11 seconds left in the second quarter.

But, an incomplete pass and a quarterback sack set up a 40-yard field

goal attempt that failed.

“I don’t know what to really say after losing, 42-0,” said Cahill,

whose jersey numbers were stained with grass and mud. “But, we have

to keep trying harder. I did leave it all on the field tonight and a

lot of the guys did that, too. Obviously, it wasn’t enough.”

Estancia junior quarterback Brad Young also contributed his

efforts, passing for 132 yards on 9 of 25 attempts with just one

interception, the Eagles’ lone turnover. He completed passes to seven

different receivers, including a 49-yard strike to Bradshaw, as the

game drew to a close.

Cahill, as well as Bradshaw, were two of several players who

played both ways Friday night. Estancia senior Louis Valdes played

some offense, defense and special teams.

After the Panthers went up 14-0, Valdes ran back the ensuing

kickoff 52 yards to the Orange 41. But, the Eagles, again, went

three-and-out.

Orange seized the advantage and scored for the third time in as

many possessions, when Justin Jones bolted for a 32-yard touchdown

run. Jones combined with University of Washington-bound running back

Durrell Moss to form an aggressive 1-2 punch for the Panthers.

Moss gained 168 yards and scored one touchdown on 19 carries,

while Jones picked up 136 yards on 14 carries and had TD runs of 32

and 42 yards.