Prep football: Winging along

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - Still 24 hours away from practicing in full gear,

Estancia High football players have already shared sweat, broken bread

and begun the often mystical process of becoming a team.

“I’m very happy with our progress,” first-year coach Jay Noonan

reported midway through the second of three conditioning days that

annually mark the beginning of fall practice. “The enthusiasm is very

high and I think our kids are really ready to go. What the kids are

really excited about and looking forward to now is Thursday, when they

can put on the pads.”

Roughly 40 varsity players, an impressive turnout considering barely

two dozen showed for a spring practice session conducted before Noonan

was named to replace Dave Perkins, have been flying around the field in

helmets, T-shirts and shorts the first two days of practice.

Initiated Monday with gassers, a running drill consisting of four

consecutive 50-yard sprints in which all players must finish in a

prescribed time limit, the Eagles are becoming familiar with a practice

routine managed to the minute by Noonan and his staff.

“The first day is always interesting,” Noonan said. “And we practiced

with about 40 freshmen, so that slowed us down a little. But the kids

have already gone through some of the soreness and things were much

crisper (Tuesday).”

Three separate practices a day, covering offense, defense and special

teams, will continue heading into the team’s Aug. 31 scrimmage against

Cabrillo of Long Beach, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.

“We want to get really good at what we do, which means a lot of

repetition,” said Noonan, who has his coordinators introduce and enforce

schemes and concepts in daily pre-practice chalk talks. “We go over and

over things and, when we start to get a little tired of it, we go over it

and over it again.”

The arrival of offensive coordinator David LeMarre, who finished a

previous coaching commitment up north during the summer, has helped bring

the offensive system alive, Noonan said.

“He’s really a pro at what he does and he has made things much

clearer,” Noonan said of LeMarre, who is also in charge of the offensive

line. “The offensive line has really stepped up, even since (Monday).”

Noonan reports similar progress on defense, where Scott Wilkie is

implementing an attacking four-four scheme.

The Eagles, none of whom started during last year’s 7-4 season, which

included the school’s first CIF Southern Section playoff appearance since

1995, complete each day with a team meal.

“Yesterday, some parents came in and made spaghetti and meatballs and

we also had salad and garlic bread,” Noonan said. “We have a team meal

every afternoon after our last practice and the kids are home by 5 p.m.

(Tuesday), we’ve planned a varsity open house, where parents can come by

and look at all the facilities and meet the coaches.”

Players are still meeting one another, as well, as several newcomers

and transfers have come on board to provide numbers sufficient enough,

Noonan believes, to field a junior varsity team. A junior varsity team

was a concept once deemed unlikely.

In addition to trying to solidify their place on the depth chart,

Eagle players are busily trying to earn their wings. The honor,

symbolized by the placement of a red winged decal on a player’s gold

helmet, a pattern similar to those worn by the University of Michigan, is

awarded for consistent effort and attitude during practice.

Seven line leaders, similar to captains, opened practice with the

decals in place and more recipients, nominated by line leaders and

confirmed by the coaching staff, will be added daily.

“We make a big deal of it,” Noonan said. “Kids are nominated during

lunch and the coaches vote on them in the afternoon. After the last

practice of the day, the line leaders make the presentation, which

usually includes saying a few words about (the honoree) in front of the

rest of the team. Everyone wants to earn those wings and, if you miss

practice, you’re excluded. So far, we haven’t had anybody miss and,

hopefully, all the kids will earn their wings by the time we open the

season (Sept. 6 against Magnolia).”