Estancia rebounds with 49-12 victory

COSTA MESA -- Everything in sight Estancia High wide receiver Matt Redding snagged away.

Even when the ball was underthrown and juggled by the defender in front of him, Redding managed to come away with the ball.

It was that kind of Friday night for the senior.

Redding finished with a career-high 261 yards and four touchdowns on eight catches, helping Estancia secure a postseason berth as it trounced Calvary Chapel 49-12 in a Orange Coast League game.

“I couldn’t really believe it,” said Redding, all smiles, while standing near Calvary Chapel’s sideline at Orange Coast College. “Whenever the ball went my way, I knew I was going to get it.”

Every ball thrown by quarterback Tim Morley to Redding was caught, and Estancia exploited Calvary Chapel’s single coverage throughout the night.

Estancia (7-3, 2-1 in league), which rebounded from a last week’s loss to league champion Laguna Beach, will now wait and see what seed it will receive in the Southern Section Southern Division playoffs.

“I’d expect a No. 2 seed,” said Estancia second-year coach Brian Barnes, who has guided the program to the playoffs for the second straight year. “We’re going to need our guys to perform again. They were on the money tonight.

“They weren’t covering (Redding) at the start of the game, and we told our quarterback to go to him.”

Morley did just that and Redding had his way with the secondary, scoring on passes of 69, 63, 20 and 18 yards.

He showed what a mismatch it would be in the opening quarter, when Calvary Chapel’s Robert Reynolds lined up on him. He used his 6-foot-2 frame well, creating space between him and the 5-7 Reynolds.

The second time Redding went out for a pass it surprised Reynolds, as Estancia faked the punt. Morley called an audible and the snap went to him. He hit Redding on an out pattern and Redding did the rest, alluding two tackles before racing into the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown.

“Matt’s probably one of the biggest receivers around, and you can’t put just one corner out there on him,” said Morley, who completed 9 of 13 passes for 293 yards. “He even helped me out, when I underthrew him in the end zone. He’s just a good athlete.”

Redding showcased his hands, route running ability and strength. On the 69-yard score, he shook off a defensive back who tried to hang onto Redding’s waist near Estancia’s sideline in the second quarter.

Redding scored all of his touchdowns in the first half, allowing Estancia to cruise to a 35-6 lead at halftime.

The defense stymied Calvary Chapel (2-8, 0-3 in league), forcing three turnovers and five punts.

Safety Rene Aldaco picked off Calvary Chapel quarterback Cameron Baird twice.

“We’ve been working hard to build this program into a winner,” said Barnes, who took over a program that has averaged two wins per year the last five seasons.