Estancia hoping for boost

While Estancia High football coach Mike Bargas was battling through a 3-7 season in which the Eagles missed the CIF Southern Section playoffs, all was not doom and gloom in the team’s coaches office in 2008.

For as dour as things got for the varsity, which came into last season trying to defend an Orange Coast League co-championship captured the year before, the fortunes of Estancia’s junior varsity and freshman teams were enough to generate some smiling faces.

Foremost among those grinning were Lance Chavez, a varsity assistant in charge of the junior varsity, and freshman coach Leonard Kirchner. The JV posted a spotless 9-0 record, while the freshmen lost just one game in which the opponent played only freshmen.

“Those guys had a friendly running battle over who would get the most wins,” Bargas said of the weekly exchanges between Chavez and Kirchner.

Such collective good fortune could bode well for a squad that returns starters in half of its 22 positions on both sides of the ball.

Estancia opens its regular season Thursday at home against Trabuco Hills.

Here’s a position-by-position breakdown:

Quarterback: Senior Alek Kirshner threw for 408 yards and two touchdowns in 2008, when he earned his way into the starting lineup after the season began.

Kirshner completed 37 of 75 attempts with four interceptions, as the Eagles’ relied heavily upon a ground game anchored by then-senior tailback Carlos Mendez.

“He throws a nice ball, he is calm and poised,” Bargas said of Kirshner, who started the final six games of last season. “The biggest thing for him this year is that he understands the system. He’ll probably be one of our captains.

Kirshner distinguished himself at safety last season, earning Defensive Back of the Year honors after his 49 tackles tied for second on the team.

Bargas, however, said he would love to allow Kirshner to concentrate on running the offense this season.

John Diego, a junior who quarterbacked the JV last season, and junior Cameron Collins, a transfer from Foothill, are battling for the primary backup role, Bargas said.

Collins did not play football at Foothill last season.

Running backs: Mendez produced nearly 73% of the team’s rushing yards last season, collecting 1,109 yards to lead all Newport-Mesa ballcarriers. Munoz, who finished with a school-record 2,693 yards and 21 touchdowns in a two-season varsity career, obviously leaves a big void.

But Bargas believes that senior Alex Abalos and Newport Harbor transfer Sean Davis could form a productive duo at tailback.

Abalos, a squatly built 5-foot-5, 160 pounder, gained 226 yards and scored four touchdowns last season on 37 carries. The Most Valuable Offensive Back for the junior varsity last season, Abalos caught four passes for 37 yards in varsity action.

In addition, junior George De La Torre, who earned second-team all-league honors as a sophomore starter, is back at fullback. He carried just 13 times for 61 yards and, Bargas admits, the 6-0, 219-pounder is a glorified guard used primarily as a lead blocker.

De La Torre did have five receptions for 48 yards and Bargas said his pass-catching ability is one of his strengths.

Sophomore Andrew Tenno (tailback) and junior Austin Abernathy (fullback) are expected to provide depth, Bargas said.

Senior Jeff Kirchberg, expected to start in the secondary, also adds depth at tailback

Receivers: Junior Matt Carlyle, who had five receptions for 46 yards last season as a starter, is among a group expected to help the Eagles achieve greater run-pass balance than in 2008.

“We need to balance it out more to take some pressure off the running game,” Bargas said.

Diego and senior newcomer Alex Calabrese are expected to be the primary targets, Bargas said.

Bargas said Carlyle’s intelligence allows him to think schematically and direct his fellow receivers.

Junior Nathan Bennett, who may also play tight end, is another pass-catching option.

Tight end: Junior Omar Gutierrez, Estancia’s lone representative on the Newport-Mesa Dream Team last season as a defensive end, is a fierce trench warrior who also possesses great hands, Bargas said.

Gutierrez caught one pass for 10 yards as a junior, when he primarily concentrated on defense.

Bargas said the 5-10, 182-pound Gutierrez is one of the team’s best receivers, who just happens to block.

Offensive line: Michael Renteria, a 6-0, 200-pound senior, was second-team all-league as a defensive lineman last season. He also started some games at left tackle. Bargas said he could resume that role, or shift to guard, depending on how the rest of the candidates up front shake out.

Other than Renteria, junior Diego Moya (5-9, 197) returns with some starting experience at center. Bargas, however, said Moya is being pushed at center by junior Juan Mejia (6-1, 189).

Senior McCanne Sanford, who packs 320 pounds on his 5-11 frame, is a candidate at guard, where he played for the junior varsity as a junior.

Senior Josh Dominguez (6-0, 174), the team’s leading tackler last year at outside linebacker, is another prospect at guard where Christopher Thomas (6-0, 202) and junior Antonio Toledo (5-8, 230) are also in the picture.

Thomas was the Most Valuable Lineman for the junior varsity last season.

Thomas, Renteria and junior Ulisses Ayala (6-1, 201) should contribute at tackle

Defensive line: Gutierrez, whose 10 sacks last season led all Newport-Mesa players, was clearly the top priority last season for opposing coordinators in charge of blocking schemes.

Gutierrez’s prowess, however, was a rarity in the Eagles’ front seven, which shifts this season from a four-three to a three-four scheme, under the direction of veteran defensive coordinator Dave Holland, a former longtime head coach at Corona del Mar.

Holland’s first year on the Estancia staff last season was spent mixing in whatever schemes he had, trying to allow his overmatched players an opportunity to confuse blockers.

An off-season trip to the University of Texas convinced Holland that a three-four would better suit the Eagles’ personnel.

“We went to a lot of blitzing last year, trying to do anything we could to get to the quarterback,” Bargas said. “But not a lot worked.”

Gutierrez’s work earned the admiration of his head coach.

“His 10 sacks were due mostly to his talent and not anything we did with our schemes,” Bargas said. “He was simply able to defeat the man in front of him. He has deceiving speed and he’s bigger and stronger this year. He’s really a quiet guy, but he can really lay a wallop.”

Gutierrez was the Eagles’ Rookie of the Year in 2009.

Renteria is a quality option at the other end, while Bargas mentioned Thomas, Toledo, and junior Ivan Banos (5-10, 302) as additional candidates.

At noseguard, junior Santiago Cervantes (5-6, 163) and senior Simon Yousif (5-3, 192) provide elusive targets for much bigger offensive linemen.

“Both [Cervantes and Yousif] are very strong, very good in the weight room,” Bargas said. “And they have some good quickness off the ball.”

Linebackers: Dominguez collected 81 tackles last season and returns to claim one outside spot.

“He keeps his motor running all the time,” Bargas said of Dominguez. “And he’s very determined.”

Davis and Eduardo Lopez, a 5-5, 184-pound junior, are the projected starters at inside ’backer, Bargas said. Davis is 5-9, 202 pounds.

Senior Coleman Brown (6-2, 209) and Mejia are vying for the starting nod at the other outside ’backer position.

Bargas said that position, called “Hero” in the Eagles’ scheme, will, at times, be in the neutral zone in a three-point stance, as well as standing upright.

Secondary: This is an area Bargas projects to be a strength as veterans Kirchberg and senior Alex Pacheco, both safeties, have had plenty of starting experience.

Pacheco started at strong safety in 2009, while Kirchberg started at outside linebacker.

Bargas said juniors Jason Anaya and Brandon Barron are among the candidates at cornerback.

Also in the picture at cornerback is Abalos.

Carlyle, Kirshner and senior Alan Gutierrez are other potential contributors to a group that impressed Vargas in seven-on-seven summer scrimmages against other schools.

The Eagles had just two interceptions last season.

Kicking game: Junior John Diego is projected to handle punting and kicking chores, with Bennett available to attempt some field goals, Bargas said.

Miguel Mejia, a junior, may handle some kickoffs.

Abalos heads a list of possible return men. That list includes Davis, as well as sophomores Alex Troncoso and Dylan Gaitan.

Dominguez is the long-snapper.