Sticker Shock

Randy Estes of Los Alamitos knows first impressions can be difficult to shake.

Estes made himself indelible at the beginning of last season’s Southern Section Division I championship football game, leading the kickoff-coverage team down the field against Santa Ana Mater Dei and then punctuating the play with a jarring tackle.

The collision seemed to reverberate throughout Edison Field and sent the Monarchs into an irreversible tailspin.

“It set the tone,” said Estes, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior who also plays safety and running back. “You could tell that Mater Dei didn’t have as much confidence as they did when they came in.”

The Griffins went on to win their first Division I title, 41-14, leaving awe-struck expressions on many of the nearly 15,000 fans in the stadium. It wasn’t long before they were looking ahead to this season, with eight players being recruited by Division I colleges.

But there’s no doubt who is considered the crown jewel. Not just at Los Alamitos, but in the entire Southland. In fact, Estes has been projected as one of the top five high school players in the nation by some recruiting services.

What makes him stand above others is his nose for the ball and ability to consistently knock opponents off their feet. Whether it’s meeting a tight end shoulder to shoulder, tripping up a running back who’s trying to bounce outside or catching a wide receiver from behind, Estes never seems to miss a tackle.

“Randy has always been like that,” said his father, Randy Estes Sr. “He throws his whole body in there. I told him not to do that all the time, but I’ve never seen him miss a tackle. There have been times when he has ended up on his back, but the other guy always ended up falling on top of him.”

Estes began his high school football career at his father’s alma mater, Long Beach Poly, winning Division I titles his first two years before transferring to Los Alamitos.

Estes contributed as a freshman, tackling former Los Angeles Loyola High and current UCLA player Matt Ware on the opening kickoff of the championship game, won by the Jackrabbits, 16-13.

He moved into a starting role during his sophomore season, one game after Long Beach Poly lost to Concord De La Salle in a contest between the nation’s top-ranked teams. The Jackrabbits went on to repeat as Division I champions, but disappointment with the new coaching staff convinced Randy Estes Sr. to transfer his son to Los Alamitos.

“I knew [the new Poly staff wasn’t] ready for prime time,” he said. “They should have beaten De La Salle, they should have shut them out.”

Randy Sr. also hoped Los Alamitos would provide a better social environment for his son.

“He wanted a better place for me,” said Randy Estes. “Different people, a different place for me. My dad thought it would be better.”

Estes was the perfect fit for the Griffins, not only solidifying their defense, but also giving Coach John Barnes another option out of the backfield. Estes proved himself to be a stellar special teams player, both on returns and coverage. Among his favorite plays last season were kickoff returns for touchdowns against Huntington Beach Edison and Huntington Beach.

Estes is expected to make even bigger plays this fall, but those closest to him agree that a difficult academic schedule and the rock-star treatment awarded big-time college recruits will represent even bigger challenges.

“The only thing that can prevent Randy from being a great college player would be Randy,” Barnes said. “His skill level and size and toughness and God-given ability are all there. He has it all.”

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How They Rate

A look at the top defensive backs in the Southland

City Section

*--* Rk Player, School Ht Wt Yr Comment 1 Jerome Boyd, 6-2 180 Sr Hard-hitting safety Dorsey 2 Chet Sanders, 6-2 200 Sr Has speed, Carson aggressiveness 3 Nate Ness, 6-0 175 Sr Free safety is Gardena three-sport athlete 4 Troy Nolan, 6-2 185 Sr Cornerback with El Camino excellent skills Real 5 Mesphin 6-2 185 Sr Athletic and loves to Forrester, hit Venice 6 Darion 6-2 180 Sr Will make big hits Donnelly, Granada Hills 7 Darryl Allen, 5-10 180 Sr Returning starter Westchester with speed 8 Kevin Hale, 5-9 160 Sr Best player from the Franklin Northern League 9 Carl Gable, 6-2 175 So Young player ready to Sylmar perform 10 Jamere 5-11 165 So Impressive in summer Holland, Taft passing tournaments Southern Section Rk Player, School Ht Wt Yr Comment 1 Randy Estes, 6-2 195 Sr Best in the nation Los Alamitos 2 Bryan Payton, 6-1 195 Sr Plays like a Raider South Hills cornerback 3 Rodney Van, 6-1 175 Sr Committed to UCLA Long Beach Poly 4 Terrail 5-11 185 Sr Runs blazing 40-yard Lambert, St. times Bonaventure 5 Daniel 5-10 190 Sr Committed to UCLA Drayton, Los Altos 6 Jeremy 6-1 195 Sr Committed to Arizona Payton, South State Hills 7 Antoine 6-1 170 Sr He’s not just Estes’ Cason, Los sidekick Alamitos 8 Keston 6-2 185 Sr Safety with Division Cheathem, I future Pomona 9 Vince 6-3 205 Sr A versatile, Freitas, Paso underrated safety Robles 10 Dion Morton, 5-9 165 Sr Performs many skills Riverside well North 11 Charles 6-0 175 Sr A quick, effective Dillon, defender Hueneme 12 Cary Harris, 6-0 170 Jr Cornerback with S.O. Notre tremendous speed Dame 13 Chris 5-11 180 Sr Terrific all-around Meadows, athlete Redondo 14 Brandon 6-0 180 Sr Had 10 interceptions Barnes, Katella 15 Adam Hill, 6-2 200 Sr He’s athletic, Esperanza determined, smart 16 Caleb Taylor, 6-2 175 Jr Has 34-inch vertical Corona leap Santiago 17 Ryan 6-0 170 Sr Free safety with good Neinhuis, instincts Santa Margarita 18 Rodney Cox, 6-2 190 Sr Holds his own against Cathedral top WRs 19 Marcus 5-9 170 Sr One of the best in Maddocks, Marmonte League Westlake 20 Reggie 5-10 190 Sr Receiving Division I Foster, interest Millikan 21 Josh 6-2 215 Sr Has size to take on Williams, running backs Warren 22 Byron Velega, 6-1 180 Sr Jackrabbits aren’t Long Beach lacking in talent Poly 23 Matt 6-0 175 Jr Cornerback was summer Appenfelder, standout Loyola 24 Adarrious 5-9 175 Sr Had five Ross, Culver interceptions last City season 25 Shawn Oatis, 6-1 212 Jr Free safety with Chino developing skills Eric Sondheimer

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