Bonds leads young group
Only six times under Jeff Brinkley has Newport Harbor High missed the CIF Southern Section football playoffs.
Brinkley is entering his 30th year in charge of the Sailors and he expects to return to the postseason this year. His team will once again rely on a half dozen two-way starters, which can be problematic in the always-tough Sunset League.
Nevertheless, Brinkley’s Sailors have continued to play past the regular season seven out of the nine seasons in the Sunset League. One of the years they failed to qualify for the playoffs was seven years ago, when it finished in a five-way tie for first place, but a tiebreaker ended the Sailors’ season early.
Newport Harbor isn’t supposed to win league this year, the favorite tag belongs to Los Alamitos, the defending champion. The Sailors, picked to finish fourth in league by coaches, have defeated the Griffins three times in the past four years, so Brinkley will have his team ready for Los Alamitos.
“I’m excited for the season to get started,” said Brinkley, who last year led the Sailors to a 5-6 overall record, 3-2 in league, good for third place and a trip to the first round of the CIF Southern Section West Valley Division playoffs at Tesoro, where they lost, 52-14. “We’ve had a good spring and summer. In fall camp, we’ve made some progress. We’ve got a good group of kids. I really like these guys. I like their attitude. Hopefully we can go out and compete.”
Below is a position-by-position look at the Sailors, who kick off the season against Rialto Eisenhower at Davidson Field on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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•Quarterback: Michael Bonds takes over for Cole Norris, who as a senior last year broke almost every Newport Harbor passing record. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound junior saw limited time as a backup last year, when Norris completed 188 of 299 passes for 2,517 yards and 30 touchdowns, while only throwing seven picks.
Brinkley said he plans for Bonds to air it out. Bonds isn’t as mobile as Norris, who had a knack for evading the pass rush and making plays on the run.
“He’ll be good before he’s done here,” Brinkley said of Bonds, whose father, Tom Bonds, and uncle, Jim Bonds, played quarterback at Newhall Hart, leading the school to CIF Southern Section titles in the 1980s.
The last quarterback to lead the Sailors to a section crown wasn’t Norris, who’s at Northern Arizona University, but Tom Jackson 10 years ago.
Senior Dalton Rosene is Bonds’ backup.
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•Running backs: Cole Kinder is a returning starter and the Sailors expect a lot from the junior.
Kinder rushed 130 times for 872 yards and four touchdowns in only nine games last year, earning him second-team All-Sunset League honors. Brinkley said Kinder, a 6-1, 190-pounder, gained some speed in the off-season.
The Sailors’ fullback is senior Jamie McNeil, who is a load at 5-7 and 212 pounds.
“We’re one of the rare teams that still uses one,” Brinkley said of the fullback position.
Senior Max Durante is the H-back, but he can also run the ball.
Backing up Kinder are junior Gage Roberson and sophomore Chace Jacques.
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•Wide receivers: Gone are standouts Riley Gaddis and Keaton Cablay, who as seniors last year combined for 112 catches for 1,595 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Jack Rapillo, a returning starter, will have a bigger role as a senior. Reed Rutter, a senior, will lineup in the slot, opposite of Rapillo.
A newcomer Brinkley said he’s excited about is Nate Harding, a basketball player who has never played football before. Brinkley likes the 6-2 Harding’s jumping ability and he will start as the third wideout.
When Newport Harbor goes with four receivers, senior Levi Hooper and junior Ryan Del Valle will rotate outside.
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•Tight ends: Brinkley said look for senior Kobe Benter, an athletic 6-4, 220-pounder, to be involved in the passing game.
“He catches the ball like a wide receiver,” Brinkley said.
Junior Alex Michaelsen and Durante will see time at tight end as well.
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•Offensive line: Four starters return, making this the strength of Newport Harbor’s offense. Half of them are three-year starters, senior center Elliott Frye (6-2, 208 pounds) and senior left tackle Joey Stukonis (6-1, 237).
Junior Michael Jarboe (6-3, 263) is back and he will line up at left guard, and senior Max Spruill (6-3, 265) is the right tackle. Brinkley said Stony Brook University, an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision program in New York, is interested in Spruill.
“Our offensive line, if we can keep them healthy, should be pretty good,” said Brinkley, whose line was decimated with injuries last year.
Junior Blake Terry (6-1, 265) is the right guard, while senior Arthur Guillen (5-8, 195) will be the backup.
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•Defensive line: A lot of the same faces on the offensive line are also on the defensive line.
“It’s a necessary evil here,” Brinkley said of the program’s lack of depth.
Jarboe and Spruill are playing inside, while Stukonis, a two-year starter, will spell them.
Durante is a returning starter at end. Frye will be the other end. Benter will back them up.
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•Linebackers: Roberson is a returning starter and will be the middle linebacker.
Rosene, who started as a safety last year, is an outside linebacker. He played the position as a sophomore.
Junior Tom Phillips is the other outside linebacker.
Cole O’Neil, a sophomore, and Jacques, are backups.
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•Secondary: Rapillo is back as a starting cornerback, and the other corner is Hooper.
At free safety is Harding and at strong safety is Rutter.
Dominic Komadina, a senior, is another cornerback.
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•Special teams: Seniors Riley Blake and Victor Negrete are competing for the kicking duties. Blake is also battling Durante for the punter job.
Rapillo and Kinder are the kick returners, and Rapillo is the punt returner.
Michaelsen is the long snapper, while Bonds is the holder.
