Seniors Lead Estancia to Victory

Estancia Coach Dave Perkins had no idea what to expect when his Eagles faced Magnolia in the season opener Thursday at Glover Stadium.

Magnolia didn’t scrimmage before this season, and the past was no help either because Bill Backstrom, who won three league titles at El Modena, is in his first year as head coach.

But Perkins was confident in his senior leaders, and they came through in a 25-8 victory.

Senior quarterback Kenny Valbuena threw two touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Andy Romo.

Senior running back Fahad Jahid was also strong, rushing for 107 yards in 13 carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run that gave the Eagles a 12-0 lead with 34 seconds left in the first half.

But Perkins also had some concerns because of inexperience in an offensive line that featured two players in their first varsity game.

“We have a little work to do,” said Perkins, whose team gave up five sacks and scored only once off of three fumble recoveries.

But the mention of Valbuena and Romo combining for two touchdowns put Perkins in a more upbeat mood.

The first touchdown pass was good for 10 yards as Romo made an over-the-shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone late in the second quarter.

The second score was good for 27 yards when Romo jumped above a defender and came down with the ball. “I told Kenny to just throw it up and I’ll catch it,” said Romo who had four receptions for 58 yards. Tight end David Stoddard also caught two passes for 62 yards.

Magnolia scored with 14 seconds left when Dennis Smith caught a nine-yard pass from Kevin Arbiso, who then ran in the two-point conversion.