Eagles waking echoes

The drought is older than every player on the roster. A constant

reminder it has been 19 years since the program’s last league title,

hangs from the north wall of Estancia High’s main gymnasium,

overlooking the progress of this Eagles boys volleyball team with

symbolic impatience.

The program’s last championship banner celebrates the 1984 Sea

View League title, as well as a trip to the CIF Southern Section

Division 4-A final. It is surrounded by similar rectangular flags

that celebrate a string of seven straight seasons of success,

including one mythical national title (1979), seven league crowns and

four section runner-up finishes. The banners form a sizable chunk of

ruffling, red and gold pomp, relegated, by subsequent years of

futility, to ever-fading circumstance.

“Our goal is to bring back a banner for our gym,” said third-year

coach Tracey Heims, who knows a little something about Estancia

volleyball history, having played for the girls program in the

mid-1990s.

Whether or not the Eagles (12-2, 6-0 in the Golden West League)

can place the order for that banner may be determined today at 4:30

p.m., when defending Golden West co-champion Ocean View, also

unbeaten in league, invades for a first-round, first-place showdown.

Estancia enters ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division III,

while Ocean View is ranked No. 3. The Seahawks battled eventual CIF

Division IV semifinalist Corona del Mar to five games in the first

round of the playoffs last spring and advanced to the CIF Division IV

quarterfinals after sharing the league title in 2001. They represent

the only true competition the Eagles will face until the playoffs,

where Estancia has not been since 1994.

“[Today’s match] will show where we’re at,” said Heims, who has

seen her team benefit from offseason club experience, as well as a

shift out of the volleyball-rich Pacific Coast League. Estancia went

0-10 in league last season, but returned its top seven players,

including junior hitting standouts Kris Hartwell, Josh Kornegay and

Brad Larsen, as well as sophomore setter Trevor Holmes. The Eagles

have been bolstered by the addition of 6-foot-5 junior middle blocker

Scott Sankey and 6-4 freshman middle blocker Dallas Kopp, while

senior back-row specialist Carlos Diaz is providing energetic

leadership.

Ocean View, meanwhile, lost some stalwarts to graduation,

according to veteran Saddleback Coach Sue Gregory, who, having played

both Estancia and Ocean View, deems the two programs evenly matched.

Ultimately, it figures to be decided on May 8 when the Eagles

visit Ocean View.

*

Perhaps looking ahead to today’s Ocean View clash, the Eagles were

less than dominant Monday against visiting Saddleback, falling

behind, 7-0, in each of the first two games and losing the second

game, 15-6. It was the only game the Eagles have lost in league this

season. In 19 league games, spanning six matches, the Eagles have

outscored Golden West foes, 276-102.

*

With spring practice not far off, the Costa Mesa High football

team has picked up Loara High transfer Bruce Wilkerson, whom Mesa

Coach Dave Perkins said started last fall as a sophomore for the 0-10

Saxons.

Perkins said Wilkerson has run 4.7 in the 40-yard dash and is the

front-runner to start under center for what would be his junior year

next fall.

Wilkerson, who actually shared time last season, completed 17 of

39 passes for 204 yards in 2002. He threw eight interceptions and did

not have a touchown pass. Perkins said he could add a dimension to

the Mustangs’ running game, which, with that in mind, is already

being formulated to include more option schemes.