Two-minute drill

Before seeing Dillon Norton take the opening kickoff 93 yards for an electrifying touchdown, Corona del Mar High football coach Jason Hitchens decided before the game what to do when the Sea Kings kicked off for the first time.

Onside kick against Newport Harbor.

“We came here to play and try to win a football game,” Hitchens said. “We were going to try to get an onside kick and see if we could get the football and get a little momentum and see what we could do with it.”

The Sea Kings didn’t recover the onside kick and they didn’t recover the rest of the night, losing the 47th edition of the Battle of the Bay, 42-13, Friday at Newport Harbor.

Jason Jacobi recovered for Newport Harbor (2-1) on the Sailors’ 49-yard line.

Six plays later, running back Michael Helfrich ran in the first of his two touchdowns to give Newport Harbor a 7-6 lead with 9:03 left in the opening quarter.

“[Defensively] we were on the short field for most of the first half with the punts [going for 11 and eight yards], a couple of big plays on their part really,” said Hitchens, whose team is now 3-1. “They ran the wheel route [to Gabe Gomez for a 35-yard gain on third-and-12] and then they ran [Helfrich from six yards out] and we had the guy, two or three missed tackles, and he runs for a touchdown.”

• CdM, ranked No. 6 this week in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division, one spot down from last week, lost two seniors, nose tackle Dan DiChiro and free safety Tyler Haly, to injuries on one play late in the third quarter.

Both DiChiro and Haly had to be helped off the field after Newport Harbor’s JB Green returned a punt 20 yards to the Sea Kings’ 48.

“That’s one of the things that’s disappointing about a game like this, a [nonleague] game, for all intents and purposes, is not a meaningful game to lose a couple of guys like that,” Hitchens said. “Hopefully the injuries are not severe.”

• Newport Harbor’s special teams have been great this season, blocking two punts and scoring touchdowns off them, and also scoring on punt and kickoff returns.

When Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley saw Norton score on the opening kickoff, it stung.

Norton scored on a 93-yard return, his third touchdown return this season. The other two were against Troy, a 92-yard kickoff return and a 57-yard punt return.

“That’s what was so disappointing,” Brinkley said. “We’ve been playing great on special teams. We let them get a score on our special teams. We’ll have to clean up a couple of things.”

The Sailors stopped Norton the rest of the night, as he averaged 12 yards on the next four kickoff returns.

Newport Harbor also recorded two safeties after CdM’s punter kicked away one bad long snap and pushed another beyond the back of the end zone. In their last three games, the Sailors have three safeties.

• The Sailors have beaten CdM by an average of 31.5 points per game the last two seasons.

Newport Harbor has claimed nine out of the last 10 Battle of the Bay contests and leads the overall series, 34-13.

• Newport Harbor’s defense shut down CdM.

“I was impressed,” Hitchens said of the Sailors.

Newport Harbor allowed 111 yards of total offense (66 passing and 45 rushing), and sacked the quarterback six times.

Only once did the Sailors allow CdM to cross midfield, coming on the Sea Kings’ last drive, which resulted in Mitch Sands’ 15-yard touchdown pass to receiver Max Haase with 31 seconds remaining.

The Sailors allowed CdM to score in the first 15 seconds and the last 31 seconds.

• Even though Thursday’s game was Costa Mesa’s home opener at Jim Scott Stadium, the Mustangs came out of the visiting locker room for the fourth straight nonleague game.

For the fourth straight time, the Mustangs lost big. This time it was against Santa Ana, 41-9, at Estancia High.

“The first half they didn’t do anything, but one long run play,” said Costa Mesa Coach Jeremy Osso, whose team trailed, 14-3, at halftime. “We set them up once inside the 20 and once inside the 30 [on turnovers that led to Saints touchdowns].

“The rest of their touchdowns [in the second half] were all big runs.”

Costa Mesa’s defense allowed touchdown runs of 53, 56 and 53 yards in the final 24 minutes.

Two bright spots for the defense were interceptions by seniors John Galvin and Kevin Astorino to set up the offense in Santa Ana territory.

After the first interception, Costa Mesa was only able to get a field goal, a 33-yarder from senior Hector Solis.

On the second one, the Mustangs turned the ball over four plays later, making it the fourth time they committed a turnover.

The Mustangs have been outscored, 173-19, this season.

• Jesse Nuno, who played at Estancia and coached under Magnolia Coach Dave Perkins at both Estancia and Costa Mesa, spent most of the game on the Estancia sideline, during the Eagles’ 58-14 nonleague loss to the Sentinels.

But Nuno walked over to the Magnolia sideline late in the game to show support for Perkins.

• Costa Mesa found the end zone for the first time through the air.

Senior Jeff Dye caught a 10-yard pass from senior Bret Farthing with 41 seconds left in the game.

“It was important to the team that we finally got over what we usually get [points-wise],” said Dye, who led the Mustangs with four catches for 39 yards. “Next week [a nonleague home game Friday against Ocean View] we just need to come out strong.

“When it comes to league [on Oct. 17 against crosstown rival Estancia], we will be mentally and physically prepared.”

Farthing, a third-string quarterback, came in late for Brian Waldron, who started in the place of junior Todd Davis, who sat out with a mild concussion.

“We can throw the ball with whomever is in there [at quarterback], but we’ve got to protect better,” Osso said. “We’re not doing what we’re taught to do. Nobody teaches, ‘Let them get penetration up the middle.’ We’re allowing it.”

• After not accomplishing much offensively in the first half of Friday night’s 53-0 loss to Rio Hondo Prep, Sage Hill School looked more composed in the second half, even if the Lightning couldn’t make a dent on the scoreboard.

Sage Hill (1-2) went into Kares territory on all three of its drives in the second half, but twice turned it over on downs and lost one fumble.

Lightning sophomore quarterback Randall Mycorn completed eight of 12 passes after intermission.

“He’s a sophomore and he’s learning as he’s going,” Coach Derek McIntyre said of the transfer from Mater Dei. “This was only his third varsity game ever, so he’s learning against a quality team ... We’re beginning the season as a very inexperienced team, but we’re going to make strides here.”

• Senior Jelani Reynolds also had several impressive runs for the Lightning in his season debut. Reynolds, who transferred from a school in London, missed the team’s first two games with a knee injury. On Friday, he had three runs of 10 yards or more, including a 25-yard run in the fourth quarter.

He finished with a team-high 59 yards.

• The 53-0 loss to Rio Hondo Prep tied for the second-worst margin of defeat in Sage Hill football history.

The Lightning, who have been playing varsity football since 2002, lost, 84-14, to rival St. Margaret’s last year. They also lost by a 53-0 margin to St. Margaret’s in 2003.

• The 58 points allowed by Estancia against Magnolia Friday have been surpassed only twice in the Eagles’ 44 varsity seasons.

Laguna Beach posted a 62-8 win in 1998 and Pacifica topped the Eagles, 61-7, in 2005.

Santa Fe, in 2005, and Pacifica, in 2002, both scored 58 points in victories over Estancia.

• Estancia seniors Luis Quintana and Ryan Longoria were carried off the field by teammates after sustaining what appeared to be serious knee injuries.

But Coach Mike Bargas said Monday that both were merely knee contusions and both were walking on their own Monday. Bargas said he would not be surprised if one or both played in the Eagles’ game Saturday against La Quinta at Bolsa Grande High.

— From staff reports