Peters steps down at Estancia

Amber Peters has resigned as Estancia High girls’ water polo coach after two seasons, she confirmed Thursday night.

Peters has accepted a full-time teaching position at Stauffer Middle School in Downey, she said.

“There would be absolutely no way for me to make it from Downey to Costa Mesa in time to coach,” Peters said. “I’m extremely happy with the job ... I just wish it would have worked out where I was in Newport-Mesa and I could have kept coaching.

“I haven’t figured out how to clone myself yet,” she added with a laugh.

Peters was a walk-on coach at Estancia, her alma mater where she was a four-year varsity water polo player before graduating in 2009. She was an assistant water polo coach before becoming the head coach, also helping out with the swimming program.

Estancia was a combined 8-20 in Peters’ two years at the helm, and didn’t qualify for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Last season, the Eagles finished 3-12, and 0-4 in the Orange Coast League.

She said she enjoyed her time as the Eagles’ water polo coach and that she is hoping to stay on as a junior varsity swim coach at Estancia, which would work out better from a timing perspective coming from Downey every day.

“Estancia breeds amazing student-athletes,” she said. “It was a pleasure to coach these girls. They are all-around amazing people ... I promised them that I would go back and watch their games and still support them.”

Estancia co-Athletic Director Nate Goellrich said in an email that he understands why Peters had to take the full-time teaching job.

“We will begin the process to find a new girls’ water polo coach, and hope to have someone in place here in the near future,” Goellrich said.