Football: Costa Mesa tops Estancia, 21-6

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - After a controversial head coaching change by Dave

Perkins and the death of a player to bring both schools together

emotionally, there’s still plenty of tension in the Battle for the Bell.

Host Costa Mesa High defeated Estancia, 21-6, Friday night in a

Pacific Coast League football game at Orange Coast College to secure the

perpetual Bell trophy and rib feast, but Estancia Coach Jay Noonan isn’t

so sure about things.

“I hope they enjoy those ribs, because for the next three years or so

they won’t,” Noonan said of the Mustangs (6-2, 2-1 in the PCL), whose

first-year coach, Perkins, coached Estancia to victory the past two years

in this crosstown rivalry.

“We will win next year’s game right here,” Noonan predicted of the

2002 Battle for the Bell.

“Things are going to change around here real quick. Unfortunately, my

predecessor absolutely devastated this program. This is not a game of

vindication. The Estancia administration was very supportive and

(Perkins) made the decision to leave.

“And, when those (Estancia) kids (transferred to Mesa), they betrayed

their teammates, they betrayed the community and they betrayed the

school. I’d rather stand by my guys. I’ll do it the right way and the

legal way. Winning is not about cheating the system.”

After the Mustangs’ victory, their first over Estancia since 1998,

Perkins said “it’s really great for Costa Mesa to get the Bell back, and

a lot of this is vindication.”

In a strange twist, and with an eerie feeling, the game was stopped

for about eight minutes in the third quarter when Estancia’s Raymond

Romua stayed on the ground after catching a pass and getting leveled by

Mesa linebacker Tim Iller. Romua was close to the Mesa sidelines and

Perkins went onto the field to see if he was OK. Perkins said he felt for

both teams.

“I don’t know why the Estancia coach didn’t come out,” Perkins said.

“For me, it was really tough,” he added, “those are still my kids,

too. (The Eagles) played like the Estancia teams I coached. I was proud

of everybody tonight.”

Costa Mesa scored early in the second quarter and getting great field

position at the Estancia 36-yard line to start a series.

Mesa quarterback A.J. Perkins and wide receiver Nick Cabico hooked up

for a 17-yard pass play to key the drive and give the Mustangs a

first-and-goal at the 5, then three plays later Keola Asuega carried it

into the end zone.

After an Estancia punt, Costa Mesa was on the move again, using eight

running plays to reach paydirt, capped by the quarterback’s 1-yard jaunt

with 6:08 to play in the first half.

Estancia, which produced only one offensive first down in the first

half and controlled the ball only nine of the game’s first 24 minutes,

had an opportunity to score in the first half after reaching the Mesa

8-yard line. But the Eagles were denied.

Costa Mesa, which was penalized 13 times for 154 yards (including four

personal fouls), scored again in the third quarter, after starting on the

Estancia 32. Cabico’s 10-yard touchdown run and Freddy Rodriguez’s

subsequent two-point conversion run gave the hosts a 21-0 lead with 8:01

to play in the quarter.

Estancia got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter as quarterback

Lewis Bradshaw connected with Junior Tanielu on a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Tanielu caught the ball at the 15 near the sideline, kept his feet in

bounds and cut back to the end zone.

Asuega led Costa Mesa ball carriers with 157 yards and one touchdown

on 25 attempts.