ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREP EXTRA : Canyon Rallies to Beat Newport Harbor, 15-14

NEWPORT BEACH —  Facing fourth down on the road with the game on the line, Canyon rewarded itself for not quitting.

Quarterback Craig Scott completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to running back Kody Miller with less than two minutes left, helping Canyon rally to a 15-14 nonleague victory over Newport Harbor Friday in front of 2,400 at Newport Harbor High.

The winning score came with 1:56 remaining and the Comanches (3-1) needing four yards for a first down. Scott, who completed nine of 16 passes for 62 yards with two interceptions, found Miller at the Sailors’ eight-yard line. Miller did the rest, eluding several would-be tacklers en route to completing the six-play, 55-yard game-winning drive.

It was the Comanches’ only lead of the game.

“I knew we had a chance as long as we kept playing hard,” said running back Troy Mills, who gained a game-high 181 yards in 21 carries.

“This win really showed a lot about our team. This was a great character win.”

The Sailors (2-2) drove from their 28 to the Comanches’ 38-yard line. However, four consecutive incomplete passes thrown by quarterback Josiah Fredriksen (10 of 23 for 165 yards) ended the threat with 50 seconds to play.

Newport Harbor looked sharp at the game’s start and led, 14-9, at halftime. It looked like Canyon was in trouble early.

Sailor linebacker Joe Urban intercepted the first pass thrown by Scott and returned it from the 50 to Canyon’s 16-yard line. From there, it took only one play for the Sailors to take the lead. Fredriksen teamed with receiver Brad La Bass on a touchdown pass and Kerr’s point-after put the Sailors ahead, 7-0.

Canyon went three and out on its next two possessions and, with Newport Harbor’s offense running smoothly, had its problems on defense as well. However, after stringing together a nifty mix of running and passing plays, Newport Harbor faced fourth and five at the Canyon 20-yard line. Fredriksen gained three yards on a quarterback keeper.

Then, after another Canyon punt, Newport Harbor moved from its four-yard line to Canyon’s 25. Receiver Jacob Matlin dropped a pass from Fredriksen.

Hello, momentum swing.

On the ensuing possession, Mills, who gained 114 yards in nine first-half carries, raced through the middle of the Sailors’ defensive line and didn’t stop until he raced the end zone 59 yards later.