Estancia Finally Defeats Rival Corona del Mar, 16-3

With just three minutes remaining, the chant began: “Six and oh! Six and oh! Six and ... Oh , what a victory for Estancia High School.

After four frustrating years, Estancia finally found a way to beat Corona del Mar Friday night, gaining a 16-3 victory in the Sea View League opener for both teams at Orange Coast College.

Estancia Coach John Liebengood--winless against the Sea Kings since he took over the program in 1985--said the victory, the Eagles’ sixth in a row, was “probably the greatest of all time,” for the school.

Judging by the reactions of the Eagle fans, who poured onto the field as if their team had just won the Super Bowl, that might be so.

Until the fourth quarter, however, neither side had anything particularly exciting to cheer about, as the two teams were tied, 3-3, going into the final quarter.

Estancia’s Alex Vazquez kicked a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter and Corona del Mar’s Jerrott Willard had a 34-yarder in the second.

But in the final quarter, the Eagles (6-0, 1-0) hit a hot streak. Estancia quarterback Dan Ucker hit Alex Vazquez for a 27-yard gain and then Dan Petrone for 16 yards, bring the Eagles to the Corona del Mar 27. Josh Wojtkiewicz and Gary Burrows helped drive Estancia to the three-yard line, and Ucker dove in for the touchdown moments later on a one-yard run.

Although Corona del Mar, the two-time defending league champion and the 1988 Division VI champion, had the ball back with more than 10 minutes remaining, the Sea Kings threw away their chances for a rally. Sophomore quarterback Todd Kehrli, trying to throw away the ball while scrambling from defenders, was intercepted by Jeremie Chapin at the Sea King 27.

From that point on, Corona del Mar could do little to contain Estancia’s momentum. The Eagles found their way into the end zone once more as Burrows caught a pass from Ucker at the one and dove under a Corona del Mar defender for the score.

Before the fourth quarter, and especially in the first half, neither team could break through the other’s staunch defense. Add that to a myriad of mistakes--Wojtkiewicz, Estancia’s star running back, fumbled three times in the first half, and both teams had what appeared to be touchdown runs called back because of penalties--and there wasn’t much for the 4,000 fans to be thrilled about.

Wojtkiewicz, who had averaged 111 rushing yards a game prior to Friday night, was held to just 58 on 22 carries, thanks to the Sea King defense anchored by linebacker Jerrott Willard.

For Corona del Mar (4-2, 0-1), little seemed to go right offensively.