All part of the routine

Barry Faulkner

Routine begets tradition for Newport Harbor High football coach Jeff

Brinkley, who in 14 seasons at the Sailors’ helm has woven a collection

of rituals into the most successful football program in Newport-Mesa

Unified School District history.

Repeating the same catch phrases, recycling offensive and defensive

schemes and exemplifying the work ethic and attention to detail his

players seem to annually absorb, Brinkley and his Tars methodically

conquer the competition.

Despite tutoring athletes better suited for intramural leagues than

Division I college programs, Brinkley has amassed a 113-50-1 record at

Harbor, heading into Friday’s CIF-Southern Section Division VI

first-round playoff game against visiting El Dorado.

Earlier this season, Brinkley surpassed Dave Holland, who coached for 20

seasons at Corona del Mar High, to become the district’s all-time career

victory leader.

Since taking over a program which had produced just 10 playoff

appearances and 11 playoff wins in 55 years, Brinkley has guided the Tars

into the postseason 10 times. Under his leadership, Newport has a 15-7

playoff record, including an unbeaten CIF Division V championship season

in 1994 and runner-up finishes in ’92 and ’96.

Since 1992, only one other public school in Orange County (Los Alamitos)

has won more football games than the Sailors.

Brinkley’s Tars capped a 9-0-1 regular season with a 14-7 win over Sea

View League rival Aliso Niguel on Nov. 12. The victory completed only the

third unbeaten regular season in school history and produced the

program’s fifth outright league championship.

“It was a good feeling,” Brinkley said of the prelude to the playoffs. “I

am very proud of the way the kids played. They’ve done a very good job

this year and to be able to go into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed is a

good feeling.”

With rare exception, the Sailors rely on a basic, run-oriented offense

and a gimmick-free defense which emphasizes stopping the run.

They have outscored opponents 317-83, allowing fewer points than any of

the county’s 68 schools.

This year’s team is led by senior running back Andre Stewart (whose 1,542

rushing yards rank third on the school’s all-time single-season list),

6-foot-8-inch, 245-pound senior offensive tackle Blair Jones (the most

coveted college recruit in Brinkley’s tenure), and two-way standouts

Justin Jacobs, Chris Manderino, Nick Langsdorf and Billy Clayton.

If all goes well against El Dorado, Brinkley will be spending

Thanksgiving morning, for the ninth time as Harbor’s head man, on the

practice field, preparing for the quarterfinals.

It’s merely another of his routines.

BY THE NUMBERS

Newport Harbor High School football coach Jeff Brinkley has racked up an

impressive record in his 14 years of leading the Tars.

Year W L T

1986 5 5 0

1987 8 4 0

1988 3 7 0

1989 9 3 0

1990 8 4 0

1991 7 5 0

1992 11 3 0

1993 7 4 0

1994 14 0 0

1995 4 6 0

1996 12 2 0

1997 10 3 0

1998 6 4 0

1999 9 0 1

Total: 113-50-1