Seeking consistency

Rick Devereux

Consistency.

If there is one thing Estancia High football Coach Craig Fertig

wants his team to understand, it’s the importance of being

consistent.

“It’s going to be my motto for the rest of the year,” Fertig said.

“We’re a good football team, but we make big plays and then we make

dumb plays. ‘Us’ is killing us.”

The Eagles (2-3, 0-1 in Golden West League action) have played

tough opponents strong the past two weeks, but have come up short on

each occasion.

Estancia lost, 23-21, in its league opener Oct. 1 against Orange (4-2, 1-1), the No. 10 ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division

VII. Last week the Eagles fell, 41-34, to Garden Grove (5-0 and No. 4

in Division IX).

“We’re doing pretty well,” Fertig said. “We’re just not winning.”

Estancia has a great chance of winning Friday when it hosts Ocean

View (1-4, 0-1) at Orange Coast College.

The Seahawks have put up a league-low 44 points this year after

losing the past two games, 44-0.

Ocean View runs a balanced offense with quarterback Aaron

Valenzuela passing for close to 300 yards and rushing for more than

200.

“You don’t know when he’s going to run or when he’s going to

pass,” Fertig said. “Our defense needs to pick up on it and know what

to do.”

The Eagle defense allowed Corona del Mar quarterback Tom Welch to

rush for 96 yards in the season opener, but Estancia has played

better every week. Last week against Garden Grove, the Eagles scored

20 points off four turnovers, including a 71-yard interception by

cornerback Geo Macias.

Fertig said the best defense might be a solid offense.

“We need to control the ball,” he said. “If we can do what we do,

we should be able to win.”

The Eagles have focused on establishing a run game, and for good

reason. Estancia’s quarterbacks have combined to complete less than

47% of their throws.

The Eagles have rushed for 615 yards and eight touchdowns, with

the main load being carried by Bruce McKendry. The senior running

back leads the team with 451 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 90

carries.

McKendry runs through defenders, constantly churning his feet for

extra yards, whereas newcomer Daniel Cheesboro has used his speed and

elusiveness to rush for 95 yards and one score in the past two games.

Cheesboro, a transfer from Costa Mesa, was allowed to play for the

first time Oct. 1 against Orange because of transfer paper work. The

first time Cheesboro stepped onto the field, he returned a kickoff 97

yards for a touchdown.