Coaches muffle hype

The Fox Sports Network crew hadn’t showed up yet.

Everyone looked loose, no pressure. The walk-through practices were a breeze. The kickoff to just another high school football game between Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar was 27 hours away.

Just another game? That’s what both longtime coaches want you to believe before the cameras turn on tonight at 7.

Corona del Mar’s Dick Freeman and Newport Harbor’s Jeff Brinkley downplayed the Battle of the Bay at Davidson Field. Just another episode to the both of them, like a “Cheers” rerun, nothing special, ask them.

“There isn’t a lot of doing rallies out here, bonfires,” said Freeman, who as an assistant became part of the cross-town rivalry in 1976.

Want to excite Freeman before the 46th meeting between the two schools? He said tell him his wide receivers will catch balls, unlike the eight they dropped last week as CdM (1-2) lost its second straight.

That will get Freeman fired up, as would seeing the Sea Kings beat the Sailors again after upsetting them, 14-6, last year to end a seven-game slide to Newport Harbor.

Another win will liven up Brinkley. He wasn’t around to see Newport Harbor’s first this season. An irregular heartbeat took him out at halftime of the season-opening victory against Aliso Niguel and to the hospital.

The 22nd-year coach came back last week and saw his team lose, 34-7, at home to power Long Beach Poly, the team FSN Prime Ticket originally wanted to showcase tonight against Carson. Long Beach Poly declined.

On TV, or not, Brinkley is staying even keel.

“We just approach the game the same way we do every other week,” he said. “This week is no different.”

The week leading up to the big game has run smoothly for both programs, except for one hitch at Newport Harbor (1-1).

Chase Obenauer might not start at left guard and defensive tackle because Brinkley said the senior is still recovering from a high-ankle sprain suffered against the Jackrabbits, who had their way with Newport Harbor’s line, sacking quarterback Andrew McDonald eight times.

Despite the 6-foot-6, 276-pounder possibly being out, Freeman will still notice a disparity between the two lines.

“They’re going to look [bigger],” he said of the Sailors, whose average size is 6-4, 241 pounds, compared to CdM’s three linemen and five linebackers, who are giving up three inches and 43 pounds.

“We watched the Aliso film and Newport had all these big, huge guys that made Aliso look small. Then we saw the Poly film, and all of Newport’s big guys appeared to be gone because there was all these big Poly guys who made them look little.”

The small Sea Kings grew the last time these two teams met. They know they’re underdogs again as the Sailors hold a 32-13 series edge.

But Freeman, who is 2-10 in the series, is quick to point out the last three contests have been close, with the average winning margin being about nine points.

To both coaches, this one has all the makings of another tight one with both offenses struggling to score.

The Sea Kings return eight starters on defense, the same one forcing Newport Harbor into committing six turnovers last year.

“They play good defense,” said Brinkley of CdM’s 3-5-3 formation, which has kept the team in games.

But seven points against Troy, ranked No. 1 the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division, and 17 points against El Toro, No. 8 in the Southwest Division, hasn’t been enough for CdM.

Those most likely won’t stand up to the Sailors, who are trying to avoid losing back-to-back games to CdM like they did in 1987-88.

Freeman said the offense, led by quarterback Hunter Alder, will need to produce more. Not helping the senior out last week were the receivers.

During practice someone asked to talk to one of the receivers and Freeman said, “You want to talk to one that can catch the ball?” Everyone around snickered.

Bet no one will laugh if they can’t haul in passes in the game CdM senior linebacker Kevin Rask calls “the best game of the year” because it brings the community together.

The stage is set, the cameras will be rolling. Is Freeman worried? No. Just with what to do during a TV timeout.

“Sometimes they get too long,” he said. “They said after a PAT, or change on a punt [they’ll go to a commercial]. It just kind of lengthens the whole game.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].