They Stumbled, but They Never Fell : Esperanza, Foothill Bounce Back After Slow Starts
Heavy machinery dots the landscape of the Esperanza High School campus, where a new quad and picnic area are being built for the school’s 2,290 students.
On a nearby practice field, a building process of another kind has taken place. The Aztec football team, at midseason a mere shadow of great Esperanza teams of the past, finds itself preparing for the Southern Conference first round.
When Esperanza meets Foothill tonight on Northrup Field, the game will feature teams that followed similar patterns in the regular season: They started slowly and finished strong.
The difference is that at Foothill, defense carried the Knights to an 8-2 record, including five shutout wins, and the Century League title.
At Esperanza, defense played an important part in the Aztecs’ resurgence from a 1-5 start to a 5-5 finish, but offense was the real key.
Led by quarterback Greg Beckman and junior running back Mike Miscione, the Aztecs rebounded from consecutive Empire League losses to Los Alamitos and Pacifica to win their remaining four games convincingly to reach the playoffs with a 5-2 league mark.
In last week’s 23-0 victory over Loara, which clinched the Aztecs’ playoff berth, Beckman completed 8 of 16 passes for 132 yards, including a 6-yard scoring pass to Miscione.
“After we lost to Los Alamitos and Pacifica, it was like starting a new season,” said Beckman, the county’s eighth-ranked passer. “The coaches came back from those losses with an excellent attitude, and we just followed that.
“We might’ve had some problems early, but we’re past that now. We lost a lot of people from last year, remember. The receivers I have now are real good, I just had to adjust to them.”
Pete Yoder is in his 11th season as Esperanza coach, and he has never had a losing season. He knew there would be adjustments in replacing players such as receiver Keith Pontiflet and running back Jim Farrell, both of whom are playing at Colorado.
“Farrell was one of the best running backs to come out of the county in the past couple years, so you don’t replace his (yardage) output real rapidly,” Yoder said.
“Miscione has about the same yards gained as Jimmy did about this time when he was a junior, though. If it wasn’t for that ankle, things might have turned out a little differently for us.”
Miscione, who credits his success to running track last spring, where he set sophomore records for the 110- and 330-yard hurdles, was injured in preseason and didn’t return to form until midseason. Continuing the tradition of solid Esperanza tailbacks, he has 730 yards rushing in eight games.
“The ankle is fine,” Miscione said. “There are no problems with it at all right now. We just want to play well the whole game. Early in the season, we started slow in the first half of some games and that cost us.”
And when you play the schedule that Esperanza does, slow starts can be the difference between winning and losing.
Esperanza’s five losses came to teams with a combined record of 41-8-1. And every team that beat the Aztecs--Marina, El Modena, Riverside Poly, Los Alamitos and Pacifica--is in the playoffs. Four won or tied for league championships.
Esperanza and Foothill had two common opponents--El Modena and Marina.
Marina Coach Dave Thompson: “We played Esperanza the first game of the year, and, obviously, they’re playing better now.
“Both team’s have good offenses, can move the ball, and score some points on you. Foothill’s defense is especially tough, too. Three touchdowns might win it.”
El Modena’s Coach Bob Lester: “Esperanza might only be 5-5, but Yoder got them to the playoffs--they’re smoking now.
“Foothill is a typical Ted Mullen team simply because they’re extremely hard to beat. Ted always has his team right in there because of that defense. If you can’t score on them, you can’t beat them.”
Foothill lost to Capistrano Valley and La Quinta by 26-7 scores, but rebounded to win eight straight, including a win over top-ranked El Modena.
Mullen cited the Knights’ league-opener against Santa Ana as the turning point. Down by 10 at the half, Foothill came back to win, 17-10.
Mullen has seen the Aztecs only on film, but he is impressed.
“You couldn’t have asked for a tougher first-round game,” Mullen said. “Esperanza got beat by some good teams early and then came back from the dead. They could’ve folded their tents, but they didn’t.
“They’re very experienced, too. They were a conference finalist last year and in the semis two years ago, so they know what they’re doing.”
It was Foothill which eliminated Esperanza in a 1983 Southern Conference semifinal game, 24-14.
The Big Game
Esperanza vs. Foothill
The records--Esperanza (5-5), Foothill (8-2).
The site--Northrup Field.
The conference--Southern.
Key to the game--Foothill’s defense. In Esperanza, the Knights will find a team capable of running, passing and scoring--the Aztecs scored 125 points in their final four games. Stopping the run, particularly Esperanza tailback Mike Miscione, will determine whether the Knights can win. If Foothill can force Esperanza to pass, then it will be able to let its defensive linemen concentrate on what they do best--rush the quarterback.
Consensus--The Aztecs are a dangerous team because they are better than their .500 record would indicate, and because not much is expected of them in the playoffs. And, having advanced to at least the semifinals in its last six postseason appearances might prove invaluable for Esperanza’s confidence. But good defenses, such as Foothill’s, have a way of frustrating good offenses. In a low-scoring game, the Knights will win by a touchdown.
FOOTHILL
(7-0, 7-2)
7 Capistrano Valley 26
7 La Quinta 26
14 Marina 0
17 Santa Ana 10
14 El Modena 0
24 Tustin 0
10 Santa Ana Valley 0
38 Villa Park 0
21 Canyon 16
35 Orange 14
ESPERANZA
(5-2, 5-5)
7 Marina 21
7 El Modena 21
7 Riverside Poly 21
27 Cypress 2
21 Los Alamitos 24
0 Pacifica 3
24 El Dorado 7
38 Katella 6
40 Kennedy 0
23 Loara 0