Daily Pilot
October 18, 2010
The Estancia High football team retired the No. 37 jersey of Brian “Bubba” Kapko prior to Friday night’s Orange Coast League opener against Laguna Beach. Kapko’s family members and friends spoke at a ceremony near the Eagles’ football office. Coach Mike Bargas said the team dedicated the season to Kapko, who played football at Estancia before dying in a car accident in 2005, at the age of 19.
The Brian Kapko Foundation hosts the popular “Bub-A-Que” each year at an Angels baseball game, raising money for the community while honoring Bubba.
"[Kapko’s family] are the greatest people and the biggest Estancia supporters," Bargas said. "They don’t just support football, they support the school as a whole … It’s the least we can do for them. We want the Kapko name ever-present here at the school."
The Newport Harbor High defense turned in its best performance of the year at the right time.
The Sailors intercepted four passes and allowed only 79 yards rushing and 90 yards passing in a 28-6 Sunset League-opening win at home against Huntington Beach on Friday. The victory ended a two-game losing streak.
Senior safety Kellon Truxton recorded two picks, returning one 17 yards for a touchdown. Senior cornerback Parker Norton and senior linebacker Blair Luchs each had an interception.
Brinkley credited defensive coordinator Tony Ciarelli for the Sailors (4-2, 1-0 in league) slowing down his former school.
"Coach Ciarelli prepared those guys well for that zone read they ran," Brinkley said. "It’s really like playing an option team. You’ve got to be disciplined. You’ve got to assign somebody for every aspect of that offense. We did some creative things this week and put these guys in a position to be successful and they went out and executed the plan."
On a team full of play-makers, junior David Fenner is arguably the most unlikely standout for Sage Hill School.
In the Lightning’s 53-7 nonleague win over visiting Saddleback Valley Christian on Friday, Fenner was in on four tackles for losses and also recovered a fumble to set up a short touchdown drive. The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder played safety last season, but was shifted to outside linebacker in the off-season. It was a move generated by defensive coordinator JD Thompson and one that Coach J.R. Tolver called genius.
The soft-spoken Fenner, whom Tolver called an animal, had a different word for the position shift.