Two-minute drill

In celebration of one of his three quarterback sacks in Friday’s 37-7

nonleague football win over Costa Mesa High, Corona del Mar senior

defensive end Matt Burgner flashed the “trident” hand sign he hopes

will catch on with other athletes and students at the school.

Burgner explained the sign, borrowed from Arizona State where the

same symbol represents the Sun Devil mascot’s pitchfork, is made by

holding the fore, index and little fingers upward, while tucking the

ring finger in with the thumb.

Burgner said he plans to pick his spots to utilize the gesture on

the field.

A trident is a three-pronged spear. It is often wielded by the Sea

King mascot logos associated with the school, including the one

displayed on both sides of the football players’ helmets.

* Former Estancia High football coach Craig Fertig, who guided the

squad the previous two seasons, was honored at halftime of the

Eagles’ nonleague game against visiting Huntington Park Thursday

night.

Fertig was a standout football player for Huntington Park back in

the 1960s, leading the Spartans to the only CIF City Section

championship in school history. Fertig later went on to play for USC

before moving to coaching.

Both Estancia Principal Tom Antal and Huntington Park Principal

Robert Hinojosa said a few words thanking Fertig before the former

coach and player took the microphone.

“I’m proud to be a Spartan and I’m awfully proud to be an Eagle,”

Fertig said to close his speech.

* Though a lopsided outcome made the finish of the CdM-Costa Mesa

game anticlimactic, the postgame handshake line had one open display

of emotion.

Jeremy Osso, CdM’s first-year co-offensive coordinator, and Mesa

assistant Bill Lux embraced near midfield.

Osso formerly coached with Lux at Costa Mesa under former Mustangs

head coach Dave Perkins.

* Corona del Mar senior Shaun Mohler, who starts at quarterback

and inside linebacker for the Sea Kings, has added to his reputation

as a big hitter through the first two games on this season.

But perhaps his biggest collision Friday came when he drove his

left foot into the ball to produce a 64-yard punt.

* With a limited depth chart, most Lightning players start both

ways and play the entire game.

With the extended action, fatigue sometimes sets in with some of

the athletes. Coach Tom Monarch said there was plenty of cramping

going on during Sage’s victory Thursday night, which later prompted

him to add:

“As a matter of fact, I think I was cramping up. It looked like a

scene from the Civil War.”

* Though Estancia has struggled to produce any consistent yardage

on the ground (24 combined rushing yards on 45 attempts its first two

games), the Eagles have had some success through the air.

Senior quarterback Ryan Watson has completed 23 of 43 for 280

yards. Both Estancia touchdowns have come as a result of Watson

completions, including a 75-yard hookup with Matt Redding against

Huntington Park.

* Newport Harbor’s season-opening victory against visiting

Fountain Valley Thursday, once again, featured the biggest

Newport-Mesa football crowd of the weekend.

The Sailors and Barons played before an estimated 3,000

spectators. The Newport Harbor program’s winning tradition has

something to do with the big turnouts, but another contributing

factor is the recurring attendance of parents of former Sailor

players who have long since graduated.