Corona del Mar football routs rival Newport Harbor for seventh straight Battle of the Bay win
Mark Redman may be quick running routes over the middle, but the Corona del Mar High senior tight end will rarely move faster than he did after completing the postgame handshake line Friday night at Davidson Field.
After the Sea Kings dominated the Battle of the Bay football game, beating rival Newport Harbor 56-17, Redman sprinted back over to the visitors’ sideline to hoist the Bell. He was soon joined by senior quarterback Ethan Garbers, then several other Sea Kings.
“That’s our baby,” Redman said. “We’ve had it for seven years. I remember watching in the stands when my brother [Ian, a 2014 CdM graduate who played left tackle] ran over from that sideline to this sideline, stealing it off their sideline. It kind of hit me. It’s more than just us. It’s more than the football team; it’s the whole community.”
The Bell isn’t going anywhere.
The Sea Kings won the rivalry game for the seventh straight year, clinching at least a share of their second consecutive Sunset League title. CdM (9-0, 4-0 in league), ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 poll, can clinch the outright crown by beating Los Alamitos (4-5, 3-1) in the league finale on Nov. 1 at Newport Harbor High.
Garbers, who threw for seven touchdowns last year against the Sailors, found the end zone six times for the Sea Kings on Friday. He passed for 353 yards and four touchdowns, all of the scores coming to senior receiver John Humphreys. Garbers also had a pair of four-yard touchdown runs.
“It’s unreal,” Garbers said. “It’s a great feeling. Four years in a row we beat Harbor, and it’s the best thing on this Earth.”
Newport Harbor (7-2, 2-2), ranked No. 4 in Division 9, started strong and led as late as the second quarter. The Sailors went on a 20-play drive to start the game, converting two fourth downs and capping it with a 41-yard field goal by Jack Starnes.
CdM’s Zack Green took the ensuing kickoff back 84 yards for a touchdown, but the Sailors didn’t fold. After CdM fumbled on the two-yard-line, Sailors safety Michael Morrison recovered it in the end zone. Newport Harbor then took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter, when sophomore quarterback Nick Kim found junior running back Justin McCoy on a 20-yard screen pass.
But the Sea Kings scored four straight touchdowns to close the half. The last one came with no time remaining. Garbers, given ample time to throw all game by CdM’s offensive line of left tackle Tommy Bouda, left guard Max Farzine, center Tanner Tomlinson, right guard Hunter Schimmelphennig and right tackle Vinny Provenza, waited until he saw Humphreys running from right to left in the back of the end zone.
The 36-yard touchdown pass gave the Sea Kings a 35-10 halftime lead. Humphreys finished with seven receptions for 138 yards.
“That’s a historic offense,” Newport Harbor coach Peter Lofthouse said. “Those guys are really good. I mean, we knew it was going to be a tall order. We watched eight games of film, and I think they punted 10 times. If it’s not 10, it’s maybe 15 at the most. Those guys are tough to stop.
“We knew we were going to have to try to keep them off the field. In the first quarter, things were going very much our way. Unfortunately, we let them get into their rhythm offensively.”
Redman had five catches for 96 yards for CdM, while senior Bradley Schlom had four catches for 80 yards. Redman also led the defensive effort with two sacks, while Bouda and Chase Zanck also had sacks. Cole Rener had an interception.
Kim exited in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury but Lofthouse said he expects him to be fine. He added that quarterback Cole Lavin (leg) will resume running next week and could possibly play in the league finale at home against Edison (6-3, 3-1) on Oct. 31.
The Chargers score 56 unanswered points to cruise past the Barons for 15th straight time on Friday at Orange Coast College.
CdM, meanwhile, will have to beat Los Alamitos for the outright league crown. The Sea Kings and Griffins shared the title last year.
“[Los Alamitos has] a lot of explosive players,” said CdM coach Dan O’Shea, who guided the program to its eighth straight league championship, six coming in the Pacific Coast League. “They’re young … and they grew up quickly. We’re really looking forward to the matchup. Obviously, they’re one of the perennial league leaders in the Sunset League.”
Sunset League
Corona del Mar 56, Newport Harbor 17
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Corona del Mar 7 – 28 – 14 – 7 — 56
Newport Harbor 3 – 7 –7 – 0 — 17
FIRST QUARTER
NH – Starnes 41 FG, 4:21.
CdM – Green 84 kickoff return, 4:08.
SECOND QUARTER
NH – McCoy 20 pass from Kim (Starnes kick), 8:47.
CdM – Garbers 4 run (Voorhees kick), 7:05.
CdM – Garbers 4 run (Voorhees kick), 3:05.
CdM – Humphreys 12 pass from Garbers (Voorhees kick), 0:57.
CdM - Humphreys 36 pass from Garbers (Voorhees kick), 0:00.
THIRD QUARTER
CdM – Humphreys 5 pass from Garbers (Voorhees kick), 9:53.
NH – McCoy 1 run (Starnes kick), 5:57.
CdM – Humphreys 23 pass from Garbers (Voorhees kick), 3:33.
FOURTH QUARTER
CdM – Binnquist 4 run (Voorhees kick), 9:07.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
CdM – Garbers, 7-51, 2 TDs.
NH – McCoy, 23-108, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
CdM – Garbers, 20-30-0, 353, 4 TDs.
NH – Kim, 19-35-1, 169, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
CdM – Humphreys, 7-138, 4 TDs.
NH – Crowell, 3-47.
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