Eagles, CdM geared up

Both coaches and their players are relieved to have the opportunity

to face an opponent with different colored jerseys. But both Corona

del Mar High and Estancia enter Friday’s 7 p.m. nonleague football

opener at Orange Coast College with a thematic color in common:

Green.

Both teams have four returning starters and both lack experience

and proven production at the offensive skill positions.

CdM, 6-5 last year, will feature first-year starters at

quarterback (senior Shaun Mohler), tailback (senior Matt Loyd) and

receiver (junior Charlie Albright and sophomore Ali Meshkin).

The Sea Kings are entering their 10th season under Coach Dick

Freeman.

Estancia will also be breaking in a new tailback (senior Kyle

Bannon), as well as all of its four-receiver set (led by senior

Ezequiel Villalvazo), in first-year coach Brian Barnes’ spread

offense.

Barnes, 26, the son of Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes, is making

his head-coaching debut.

The Eagles, 4-6 a year ago, will start senior Ryan Watson at

quarterback. Watson saw some time last year as a starter, when he

completed 12 of 30 for 221 yards and two touchdowns.

Watson is not only Estancia’s leading returning passer, but also

its leading returning receiver, having collected four receptions for

100 yards last fall.

Senior fullback Clayton Mills is the Eagles’ leading rusher back.

He produced 47 yards and two TDs on 14 carries as a junior. He earned

second-team All-Golden West League honors as an outside linebacker.

Mohler, a second-team All-Pacific Coast League inside linebacker,

will once again start on defense. Mohler threw just three passes last

season, completing one for 46 yards.

The Sea Kings are led by senior Matt Burgner, an All-CIF Southern

Section Division IX defensive end who has twice been a Newport-Mesa

Dream Team honoree. Burgner had 16 sacks last season and has 24 in

his career. He will also start at fullback.

Other CdM standouts include 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior two-way

lineman John Fairbanks, as well as senior tight end and linebacker

Avery Fenton (6-3, 230).

Villalvazo, a second-team all-league choice at cornerback last

season, and senior Nelson Leon (6-2, 210) are among six two-way

starters for the Eagles.

“The biggest thing for us is to try to stay calm and play

mistake-free football,” Barnes said.

Freeman offered a similar hope.

“We just want to work on doing stuff right,” Freeman said. “I

don’t care if we only do a few things on offense, but we don’t want

to make mistakes.”

CdM leads the series, 17-10-3, including a 35-14 win in last

season’s opener. The Sea Kings have won four straight openers.

Estancia has won seven of its last 10 openers.