Today’s Games : Estancia, Orange Will Meet in Pivotal Matchup

It was an emotional and hectic week that John Liebengood, Estancia High School’s football coach, will never forget.

Eight hours before his team was scheduled to meet Orange in its final 1988 nonleague tuneup, Liebengood received a telephone call informing him that his mother had died in Boron.

Liebengood left school immediately for Boron and returned just in time to watch his team gain a 14-8 victory. He went back to Boron immediately after the game, returned to school on Saturday morning to prepare for a league opener against Tustin and then left to attend his mother’s funeral on Monday.

“It was a very hard week for myself, my assistants and the players,” Liebengood said. “But I think the players played with a lot of emotion that night against Orange. It was a pivotal game in our season.”

Estancia (4-0) will meet Orange (3-0-1) in another pivotal game for both teams at 7:30 tonight at El Modena’s Fred Kelly Stadium. The game figures to be the first test for Estancia, which has outscored its four opponents, 123-7.

“We’ve dominated every game,” Liebengood said. “We’re rated seventh in the county. Now we’re going to find out how good we really are. We’re expecting a defensive battle.”

Orange has allowed only 12 points in four games, with opponents scoring one touchdown and two field goals. The Panthers had six takeaways, including five fumble recoveries, in an impressive 15-0 victory over Villa Park.

“I don’t think they’ve faced a team that can throw, so we’re going to test them with our passing game,” Liebengood said.

Quarterback Danny Ucker has completed 28 of 47 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Josh Wojtkiewicz has gained 421 yards in 70 carries and has scored seven touchdowns.

In other games, Capistrano Valley goes for its fifth consecutive victory at Point Loma at 3:30 p.m.; Orange Lutheran plays host to Valley Christian in Olympic League play at 2 p.m., and Servite plays host to Muir at 7:30 in Glover Stadium.