High Schools:

Gannon Burks’ job as the Estancia High boys’ soccer coach involved more than goals on the field.

For many of his players, Burks stood as a father figure. Burks was a natural in the position, already a father to two girls.

The boys on the pitch were his sons. To some, Burks was the father they never had around or barely knew. The players grew because of Burks, and because of them, Burks blossomed into the father he dreamed of having as a child.

Come Wednesday, it will pain Burks to say goodbye to his soccer family. Burks said he plans to step down after winning four league championships in six years as Estancia’s coach because his family at home needs him.

“I don’t really want to leave, but my 2-year-old is really sick right now,” said Burks of Chloe, adding she’s been diagnosed with seizure problems. “The thing I’m going to miss is being on the sideline because you get the best seat watching these kids play the game they love. I loved them for it, their passion.”

Well before high school, Burks, 37, guided many of the boys on this season’s team, which won the Orange Coast League title and finished 15-2-7, 5-0-3 in league.

Burks was their teacher, their coach at Rea Elementary, where he teaches sixth grade. Their success continued at Estancia.

The Eagles claimed their third straight Orange Coast League title. The league has only had one champ in its existence.

Many of the Eagles have known only one coach, Burks, who stressed goals in the classroom and in life over scoring goals on the field.

“It will be hard when I talk to my players, but it’s time to focus on my family,” said Burks, who hopes his assistant and 1999 Estancia graduate Robert Castellano becomes the next coach. “Robert understands the program and the kids look up to him.

“From now on, I’m going straight home after school, to walk and play with my daughters, to spent time with them, to cook dinner, and to help my wife Jenny out.

“I made the right choice. Growing up, I didn’t have a dad. My family needs [its] dad.”

New and improved

As Newport Harbor Coach Jason Lynch put it, two of Friday’s relays at the Sunset League boys’ swimming championships were “kind of a new thing.”

Exactly, new as in four Sailors swam together for the first time this season and set league and school records while placing first in the 200-yard medley and 200 freestyle, allowing host Newport Harbor to defend its league title.

The Sailors beat Edison, 492-402, and Lynch credits the meet-opening 200 medley relay as the spark. The new look looked darn good.

The team, made up of David Linden, Blake Kelly, Jack Yeager and Ikaika Sarme, recorded a time of 1 minute, 34.75 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in Orange County history. Lynch said the mark broke Newport Harbor’s 29-year-old record of 1:36.84.

In the 200 free, the same swimmers, another stellar performance. The foursome finished in 1:25.28, ranking it fourth all-time in the county. Lynch said the previous school best in the event was 1:25.76, set last season.

“We wanted to win those two relays because I didn’t think there was a way we could beat Edison in the 400 relay with [UC Berkeley-bound Tom] Shields anchoring it,” Lynch said. “This is probably the strongest swim team I ever had [in eight seasons]. I thought last year’s was good. This team is better. I didn’t recognize it at the beginning [of the season]. We have guys who have stepped up.”

Linden is one of those swimmers.

The senior shared swimmer of the meet honors with Shields. Linden won the 100 butterfly (50.71) and 200 individual medley (1:53.76).

Other first-place finishers included Sarme in the 50 free (21.44) and Kelly in the 100 breaststroke (58.43).

Next is the CIF Southern Section Division I preliminaries Wednesday at Belmont Plaza. Lynch said 14 Sailors have qualified for the chance to advance to Friday’s finals.

Lynch said Newport Harbor can have its best showing since 2002, when Aaron Peirsol swam for the Tars.

“We can potentially win both relays at CIF,” Lynch said.

Moskovits nears mark

Senior Danny Moskovits needs to drive in one more run to set the Corona del Mar baseball record for runs batted in during a single season.

Moskovits has 36 RBIs, tops in Orange County and CIF Southern Section Division III.

Moskovits is tied with Ty Harper for the CdM mark, which Harper set in 28 games during the Sea Kings’ 1999 section championship season.

Smith Colgate bound

CdM junior Ashleigh Smith has committed to play women’s soccer at Colgate University, her mother, Kathy Smith, said.

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