CdM stays on a roll

NEWPORT BEACH — Tampa Bay Rays Manager Joe Maddon has become somewhat famous for espousing the belief that nine equals eight. Nine players playing together to become one of eight Major League Baseball playoff teams

The Corona del Mar football team hatched some similarly incongruous numerology on its way to a 17-5 nonleague victory over visiting Villa Park at Newport Harbor High Friday night.

The Sea Kings (5-1), ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division, proved that half of one quarter can be extremely beneficial.

The reference relates to using just more than six minutes of the 12-minute third period, driving 80 yards on 11 plays with the second-half kickoff to regain momentum and establish control.

“I think it was real important for us to come out [strong],” CdM Coach Jason Hitchens said of the game-turning touchdown procession, made all the more important because it answered a late first-half field goal the Spartans earned after intercepting a pass with 1:12 left before intermission.

“We’ve kind of been a little erratic, offensively, and inconsistent in terms of drives,” Hitchens said. “And coming out in the second half and being able to put something [together] kind of put their team in a position where there might be more of a sense of urgency.”

The CdM defense played with urgency all night. Defensive coordinator Eric Johnson came up with a strong plan, adjusted on the fly, and his players flew around striking white jerseys with abandon.

Twice CdM held on fourth down in the final period, including a fourth-and-two situation at its own five-yard line to preserve a 17-3 lead.

CdM’s ensuing possession produced a safety when a Sea Kings’ punt snap sailed out of the end zone.

Villa Park (2-3) returned the subsequent free kick to its own 40 and had fourth-and-two on its 48, before cornerback Noah Molnar provided blanket coverage to help force an incomplete pass.

CdM ran out the final 3:35 to add some confidence heading into Friday night’s Pacific Coast League-opening showdown against Laguna Hills, ranked No. 1 in the Southern Division.

“We’re 5-1 and we’ve got the momentum,” said junior outside linebacker Justin Tam, one of many standouts for CdM’s defense. “We’re looking forward to playing Laguna Hills. That’s a pretty good team and it will be a good challenge for us.”

CdM expected to be challenged by Villa Park’s ground game and strong defense. And while the latter proved true, it was the Spartans’ passing attack, led by senior quarterback Tyler Watkins that proved most dangerous.

“Watkins hadn’t played the last couple weeks, and [the Spartans] had shown to this point in the season that they wanted to run the ball more than throw it,” Hitchens said. “But they did a much better job throwing the ball.”

Watkins completed 14 of 23 attempts for 169 yards as the visitors earned all seven of their first downs through the air.

But a CdM defense of ends Ben Noe and Will Ham, noseguard Dan DiChiro, linebackers Max Haase, Alex Swigert, Dutch Lamons and Tam, as well as a secondary of Noe, Molnar, Dillon Norton, Will Morrow and J.D. Abbott, kept the Spartans out of the end zone.

CdM held the Spartans to 22 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Finally some mathematical symmetry.

Swigert recovered a fumble at the Villa Par 32 to set up a 37-yard field goal by Andrew Boehm that opened the scoring midway through the first quarter.

After Norton returned a punt nine yards to the Spartans’ 36 early in the second quarter, CdM covered the short field in five plays, capped by a 19-yard scoring pass from Mitch Sands to Tyler Haly.

Sands threw for 130 yards, while Abbott powered his way to 109 rushing yards on 20 carries. Abbott carried four times for 26 yards on CdM’s crucial third-quarter drive, including a two-yard plunge to cap the possession.

Haase had four receptions for 81 yards to help CdM do enough to earn an impressive win.

“The win was big from the standpoint that Villa Park is a very good team, especially defensively,” said Hitchens, who was Villa Park’s defensive coordinator last season and shared postgame hugs and well wishes with many Spartans players. “The fact that we were able to do some things against them gives us a little momentum going into league.”

CORONA DEL MAR 17, VILLA PARK

Villa Park 0-3-0-2---5

Corona del Mar 3-7-7-0---17

FIRST QUARTER

CdM – Boehm 37 FG, 7:13.

SECOND QUARTER

CdM – Haly 19 pass from Sands (Boehm kick), 10:06.

VP – Miller 33 FG, 0:09.

THIRD QUARTER

CdM – Abbott 2 run (Boehm kick), 5:58.

FOURTH QUARTER

VP – Safety – CdM punt snap out of end zone, 4:46.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

VP – Alvarado, 9-23; Brown, 4-11; Tafuna, 4-10; Watkins, 5-minus 22.

CdM – Abbott, 20-109, 1 TD; Swigert, 3-19; Norton, 3-8; Haase, 1-7; Sands, 7-1; team, 1-minus 1.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

VP – Watkins, 14-23-0. 169.

CdM – Sands 9-17-1, 130, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

VP – Parker, 7-70; Roberts, 2-48; Brown, 3-23; Alvarado, 1-20; Adle, 1-8.

CdM – Haase, 4-81; Molnar, 3-32; Haly, 1-19, 1 TD; Norton, 1-minus 2.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].