Sailors claim Sea View championship

Rick Devereux

Given the alternative, Newport Harbor High Coach Jeff Brinkley was

happy he was doused with ice water from his players following the

Sailors’ 63-20 Sea View League football victory over Woodbridge at

Irvine High Thursday.

He could have been dumped with Gatorade like defensive coordinator

Tony Ciarelli.

“I’m cold, but Tony is sticky,” Brinkley said.

The win gave Newport (9-0-1, 4-0-1 in league) its fourth outright

league title under Brinkley.

“I have to give a lot of credit to our players,” Brinkley said. “I

am so proud of them. They battled back through adversity all year.”

A 28-point outburst over seven minutes in the second quarter

erased a 7-0 deficit and gave the Sailors, ranked No. 3 in CIF

Southern Section Division VI, all the momentum they needed to score

the most points since posting 70 against Orange in the 1998 season

opener.

“We got rolling pretty good there in the second quarter,” Brinkley

said.

Woodbridge quarterback Mike Anderson marched the Warriors 61 yards

on 11 plays on their second possession, and took an early 7-0 lead

when he connected with Jacob Fishel on a 26-yard bomb.

The Newport offense had trouble getting started in the first

quarter. The Sailors did not record a first down until 22 seconds

remained in the first quarter.

Apparently Newport was saving its energy for the second quarter.

Kasey Peters evened the score on a 20-yard lob to Spencer Link.

After the defense held Woodbridge to a three-and-out on its next

possession, Newport took the lead on Thomas Martin’s 2-yard blast to

the left. The score was set up by Trevor Theriot’s 16-yard run on a fake reverse and Alex Orth’s 25-yard diving catch.

Anderson hit Fishel on a quick screen on Woodbridge’s next

possession, and the 6-foot senior sprinted 70 yards for an apparent

score. The Warriors were penalized for an illegal block and Newport’s

Matt Erikson returned an interception 42 yards for a score on the

next play.

Woodbridge (4-5-1, 2-3) looked shell-shocked from the the 14-point

turnaround. Instead of a 14-14 tie, Newport was up 21-7.

“They were throwing hitches all night, and I just jumped in front

of the pass,” Erikson said.

On Woodbridge’s second play of the ensuing drive, outside

linebacker Greg Miner came on a blitz and striped Anderson of the

ball. Sean Rowe recovered the loose ball for Newport on the

Woodbridge 21.

Trevor Theriot ran over a defender five plays later on his 2-yard

touchdown run to put the game away.

“It feels great to be undefeated,” Erikson said. “Everybody on

this team played a big part in this win and during the season.”

Erikson had a standout game for Newport. The 5-foot-8 senior

intercepted his second pass of the game late in the second quarter

and was a big factor in another Sailor defensive score.

Peters gave Newport Harbor a 35-7 cushion when he burst through a

scrum on a quarterback sneak and raced 48 yards for a score.

On the ensuing possession, Erikson leveled a receiver the moment

the Woodbridge player touched the ball. The ball popped up and into

the hands of linebacker Taylor Young, who ran 25 yards for a

touchdown. A Travis Duffield extra point, one of nine in the game,

gave the Sailors a 42-7 lead.

Ryan Rippon scored from 10 yards out on Newport Harbor’s next

possession, and Woodbridge answered with a 14-yard draw for a

touchdown and a 39-yard fumble return. It was a futile effort for

Woodbridge, however, because Rippon scored on a 79-yard jaunt up the

middle on Newport’s second play following the kickoff.

After another three-and-out, the fourth of the game, Keith

Eldridge scored on a 72-yard run to bring the final tally to 63-20.

Newport needed to beat Woodbridge to win the league title because

Aliso Niguel (9-1, 4-1) solidified second place in the league with a

38-0 win over Laguna Hills Thursday night.

“I’ve got such a great staff,” Brinkley said. “And they’re not

just great X’s and O’s type of guys. They are great people, too, and

I’m real proud of all of them.”