Estancia ground game keys triumph over Costa Mesa in Battle for the Bell football rivalry

While host Costa Mesa High kept the gadget plays coming on Friday, rival Estancia used sustained body blows to ultimately claim the rib dinner that goes to the annual Battle for the Bell winner.

Estancia, the final two touchdown drives for which consumed 15 and 14 plays, respectively, relied on a methodically blunt-force running game to secure a 27-21 Orange Coast League football victory in the showdown between city rivals at Mustang Field.

“We finally woke up a little bit on the offensive line,� said Estancia coach Mike Bargas, whose team improved to 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the league.

The Eagles have now won six straight against the Mustangs (3-7, 1-4), who have dropped nine of the last 10 in the series. Estancia increased its series lead to 33-19-1.

Estancia’s Cameron Knickerbocker throws a short pass for a first down against Costa Mesa in the Battle for the Bell rivalry game on Friday.

(Drew A. Kelley)

“That’s the kind of football I enjoy,� added Bargas, whose team amassed 255 yards on 49 rushing attempts, while adding 114 yards and one critical touchdown through the air.

Estancia junior Lucas Pacheco carried 14 times in the second half, including 10 on the 14-play, 66-yard touchdown march that gave the Eagles what proved to be an insurmountable 27-14 lead with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.

Pacheco, who entered the game with nine carries for 21 yards this season, finished with 137 yards on 18 rushing attempts. He had a 14-yard touchdown run to put the Eagles up 13-0 in the first quarter, and ripped off gains of 22 and 23 yards in the second quarter.

“[Pacheco] was a stud,� Bargas said of the 5-foot-6, 160-pounder, who surged repeatedly between the tackles against the Mustangs. “We have a good little one-two punch [with 5-4, 150-pound junior Beto Sotomayor, who had 82 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries and finished with a team-best 544 rushing yards on the season], but Lucas really came fired up tonight.�

Pacheco, who said he was informed early in the week that he would be asked to carry a big load offensively, deflected credit to his offensive line of tackles Chris Pacheco and Bryan Augustin, guards Jacob Potts and Freddy Guzman, and center Margarito Olivera.

“The O-line helped me get all the yards I could get,� Pacheco said.

Costa Mesa’s Nick Burton runs for a four-yard touchdown in the second quarter against Estancia in the Battle for the Bell rivalry game on Friday.

(Drew A. Kelley)

And the Eagles needed all they could get to hold off the Mustangs, who rode the playmaking of junior quarterback Nick Burton and some creative play calling to push Estancia to the end.

Costa Mesa, which utilized a flea-flicker, a hook-and-lateral, a statue of liberty, and the increasingly popular Philly [Eagles] special to help fuel some quick-strike scoring drives, will likely regret several missed scoring opportunities before halftime.

The Mustangs, who matched Estancia with two turnovers, fumbled out of the end zone from the one-yard line late in the first quarter to give Estancia possession on a touchback.

A would-be 62-yard run to the Estancia seven-yard line was nullified by a Mustang personal-foul penalty on a first-quarter possession that ended in a punt. And a wide-open Costa Mesa receiver dropped an accurate would-be touchdown pass in the end zone before turning the ball over on downs in the second quarter.

Another Costa Mesa drive ended 1:50 before halftime when Estancia senior linebacker Gannon Griffin intercepted a pass at his own 17-yard line.

Costa Mesa had another would-be touchdown called back due to a holding penalty, but scored one snap later when Burton caught a Philly special touchdown pass from Joe Paxon to finalize the scoring with 8:41 left in the game.

A three-and-out and an eight-yard punt gave Costa Mesa, for which Bryan Hernandez blocked an extra-point attempt in the first quarter, possession with a chance to take the lead.

But after driving to the Estancia 35, a delay of game penalty and a group sack by a swarm of Eagles defenders on fourth down, allowed the visitors to run out the final four minutes and celebrate.

Burton completed 23 of 35 attempts for 221 yards and one touchdown. In addition to the aforementioned touchdown reception, Burton scored on a four-yard run, one play after Jacob Schultz recovered an Estancia fumble at the Eagles’ six-yard line early in the second quarter.

Burton threw 31 yards to Cory Richards to pull the Mustangs within 20-14 with 8:22 left in the third quarter.

Estancia’s Tony Valdez catches a pass and scores a 22-yard touchdown against Costa Mesa in the Battle for the Bell rivalry game on Friday.

(Drew A. Kelley)

Estancia quarterback Cameron Knickerbocker completed 10 of 14 passes for 110 yards, with the most critical coming on fourth-and-two to cap a 15-play touchdown drive in the second period. Knickerbocker hit Tony Valdez in the middle of the end zone for a 22-yard score on the play with 4:12 left in the half.

“They were trying to counter our run game and had zero coverage with no safety to cover [the deep middle],� Bargas said of the crucial Valdez touchdown, only his second scoring reception of the season. “It was ground and pound, but when we ran a couple of play-action passes, they bit every time. Obviously we are not prolific passers, but we saw some opportunities and we just sprinkled in enough of a passing game to get out of here with a victory.�

Estancia earned 14 of its 22 first downs on the ground, while Costa Mesa passed for 12 of its 16 first downs.

Bargas said an at-large berth in the CIF Southern Section Division 13 playoffs is very unlikely. But ending the season with a victory and extending the winning streak over Costa Mesa is something to build on for 2020.

“We are very, very, very fortunate and I consider us very lucky,� said Bargas, whose team finished fourth in the league, ahead of the Mustangs. “I always tell the kids every dog has its day. So, we’re one lucky dog.�

Orange Coast League

Estancia 27, Costa Mesa 21

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Estancia 13 – 7 – 7 – 0 — 27

Costa Mesa 0 – 7 – 7 – 7 — 21

FIRST QUARTER

E – Sotomayor 20 run (Avila kick), 7:07.

E – L. Pacheco 14 run (kick blocked), 4:20.

SECOND QUARTER

CM – Burton 4 run (Oliver kick), 10:21.

E – T. Valdez 22 pass from Knickerbocker (Avila kick), 4:12.

THIRD QUARTER

CM – Richards 31 pass from Burton (Oliver kick), 8:22.

E – N. Pacheco 3 run (Avila kick), 0:21.

FOURTH QUARTER

CM – Burton 21 pass from Paxon (Oliver kick), 8:41.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

E – L. Pacheco, 18-137, 1 TD.

CM – Hernandez, 6-36.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

E – Knickerbocker, 10-14-1, 114, 1 TD.

CM – Burton, 22-35-1, 221, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

E – Demarais, 2-33.

CM – Richards, 5-71, 1 TD.

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