BATTLE FOR THE BELL XLI:

For a video of the game click here.

NEWPORT BEACH — Two hours before the biggest game of the year, left tackle Connor McKendry told one of the smallest players on Estancia High’s football team to take a knee.

Away from the football stadium and the lights, Carlos Mendez, a 5-foot-6, 155-pound running back, didn’t know what to expect. McKendry, a 6-foot-5 senior, broke it down for the junior before playing cross-town rival Costa Mesa Friday night.

“I was like, ‘Tonight is going to be the biggest night of your life. I want at least three touchdowns,’ ” McKendry said. “He understood the message.”

Mendez took it to another level in the Orange Coast League game at Newport Harbor High. Before he got his chance to ring the bell, given to the winner of the Battle for the Bell, he knocked out the Mustangs.

The little back kept moving those legs, looking like a prizefighter. About the time the Mustangs finally caught him and took him out of the game, Mendez had already rushed for a school-record 299 yards to go with three touchdowns, helping Estancia run away with a 41-13 victory and clinch at least a share of its first league championship since 1989.

It took 37 carries for Mendez to smash James Dawkins’ 247-yard record he totaled against Laguna Beach in 1996. Now Mendez felt a part of Estancia (5-4, 2-0 in league). As if back-to-back 200-yard plus games in a span of five days with the league title on the line wasn’t enough.

For first-year coach Mike Bargas, he said this should quiet the critics, the ones pointing out the Eagles’ first four victories came against teams that went into Friday with a combined record of 0-31. A victory against Laguna Beach at home next week, and the league crown is all Estancia’s.

Mendez just wanted to ring that bell. The one he wasn’t able to last year, when he said he was academically ineligible to play. He watched everyone else ring the bell after last year’s win. Now everyone zoomed in on him as he smiled away, proud of everything he has done on the field and in the classroom.

Those grades are now up. From his outing against Costa Mesa (2-7, 1-1) and giving Estancia a 24-16-1 lead in the rivalry, it looked like he needed some help with math, though. When told he was one yard short of 300, Mendez couldn’t believe it.

“I ran for that much?” he said. “They were just giving me the ball and they knew I could break it through. I didn’t play last year. I was really mad. We just wanted to bring it and just give them all we had.”

The Mendez punches came in flurries. This one was decided by the time the second quarter rolled around with Estancia up, 21-6. Mendez ran wild on the over-zealous Mustangs, sweeping past defenders for two opening quarter touchdowns.

Eleven of his 19 carries in the first half went for 10 or more yards. The only thing stopping him 16 yards short of totaling 200 yards by halftime was false starts and holding calls on Estancia.

Six times the yellow flags flew onto the field in the second, hurting the Eagles. In the first quarter, they moved the chains as if they were running offensive drills during practice with no defense. Ten first downs, but the chain crew received a break. Penalties and two turnovers stalled Estancia in the second.

Mendez continued to churn those short legs of his, piling up yards and created opportunities for the passing game. Quarterback Radames Gutierrez took advantage three times. He hit wide receiver Ryan Redding on touchdown passes of 50 and 30 yards and Eddie Tomasek for a 20-yard score.

But the night belonged to Mendez and the offensive line, as Estancia beat Costa Mesa for the fourth straight year.

“I don’t want any credit, maybe a little credit,” said McKendry as he praised the dominating efforts turned in by left guard Alex Machuca, center David Lopez, right guard Bulmaro Contreras and right tackle Sean Ulrich. “That little guy is unbelievable when he runs. That kid runs his butt off.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].

FIRST QUARTER

CM – Byrd 72 pass from Waldron (kick failed), 11:41.

Est – Tomasek 20 pass from Gutierrez (Diego kick), 9:00.

Est – Mendez 13 run (Diego kick), 4:50.

Est – Mendez 15 run (Diego kick), 3:25.

SECOND QUARTER

Est – Redding 50 pass from Gutierrez (Diego kick), 0:25.

CM – Byrd 48 pass from Waldron (Solis kick), 0:10.THIRD QUARTER

Est – Mendez 7 run (kick failed), 9:02.

FOURTH QUARTER

Est – Redding 30 pass from Gutierrez (Diego kick), 11:15.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Est – Mendez, 37-299, 3 TDs; Moreno, 7-34; Gutierrez, 3-14; Nay, 1-5.

CM – Byrd, 15-50; De La Mater, 7-39; Salyer, 3-14; Gemayel, 3-8; Waldron 1-minus-5.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Est – Gutierrez, 8-11-1, 193, 3 TDs

CM – Waldron, 5-13-1, 147, 2 TDs

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Est – Redding, 3-130, 2 TDs; Diego, 2-32; Tomasek, 2-21, 1 TD; Moreno, 1-10.

CM – Byrd, 4-139, 2 TDs; De La Mater, 1-8.