Kinder, Bonds lead Sailors to win

PICO RIVERA — Junior tailback Cole Kinder rushed for 287 yards and two touchdowns and junior quarterback Michael Bonds threw three touchdown passes to lead visiting Newport Harbor to a 33-21 nonleague win over El Rancho on Friday.

Newport Harbor (2-0) led, 14-0, and 21-14, in the first half, only to see the Dons earn a halftime tie at 21-21.

But the Sailors scored on their first second-half possession and iced the game with Bonds’ second scoring pass to Jack Rapillo with 4:06 to play.

Kinder carried 34 times, including scoring runs of 22 and one yards. He also had gains of 43, 34, 29, 23 and 20 yards and gained double-digit yards on four more carries behind the strong blocking of his offensive line.

Bonds had touchdown passes of 46, 12 and 11 yards and finished 10 for 16 passing for 125 yards.

The Sailors scored on their first two possessions and three of their four first-half drives.

After halftime, a Newport Harbor defense that was gashed in the second quarter, when the hosts (0-3) scored all of their points, did not allow El Rancho to reach the red zone.

Newport Harbor junior outside linebacker Tom Phillips was taken to a hospital by ambulance with an apparent neck/spinal injury late in the third quarter. There was a 22-minute delay while Phillips was being attended to.

Rapillo, who got behind the secondary for a 46-yard scoring streak that put the Tars up, 21-14, with 1:47 left in the first half, finished with four receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

Both teams had one turnover, each losing fumbles late in the game.

But in addition to its first-half defensive struggles, Newport Harbor had to overcome 11 penalties for 88 yards. One of those penalties nullified a would-be 15-yard scoring hookup between Bonds and Rapillo late in the third quarter. Two plays later, Newport Harbor turned the ball over on downs at the El Rancho 20-yard line.

El Rancho, relying on the legs and arm of 5-foot-10, 140-pound junior quarterback Adam Chandler, twice rallied to knot the score in the second quarter.

Chandler threw a pair of scoring passes to senior receiver Isiah Araujo, the second a nine-yarder in the back of the end zone after drifting from the pocket with two seconds left in the half, created the 21-21 halftime score.

Chandler also hit Araujo for a 20-yard touchdown for the Dons’ first score, and scrambled for a three-yard touchdown that created a 14-14 deadlock with 3:22 left in the half.

The Sailors, who earlier in the first half had a five-play, 73-yard touchdown drive, needed just four plays to cover 75 yards to take a 21-14 advantage with 1:47 left in the half.

But Chandler triggered an 11-play, 53-yard drive that cashed in a 43-yard kickoff return to equalize things before halftime.

Chandler finished with 251 yards on 23-of-34 passing. He also led the Dons with 40 rushing yards.

Senior defensive end Max Durante had 1 1/2 sacks, while junior tackle Joey Stukonis had a solo sack for the Sailors. Durante forced a fumble while collecting a sack and senior outside linebacker Dalton Rosene recovered with 3:20 left in the game.

Another key defensive play featured senior end Elliott Frye batting down a pass on fourth-and-four from the Newport Harbor 28 early in the final period.

The Sailors meet rival Corona del Mar in the Battle of the Bay on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Orange Coast College.

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Newport Harbor 33, El Rancho 21

SCORE BY QUARTERS

NH 14 7 6 6 – 33

ER 0 21 0 0 – 21

FIRST QUARTER

NH – Durante 12 pass from Bonds (Blake kick), 5:27.

NH – Kinder 22 run (Blake kick), 3:22.

SECOND QUARTER

ER – Araujo 20 pass from Chandler (Spindola kick), 8:24.

ER – Chandler 3 run (Spindola kick), 3:22.

NH – Rapillo 46 pass from Bonds (Blake kick), 1:47.

ER – Araujo 9 pass from Chandler (Spindola kick), 0:02.

THIRD QUARTER

NH – Kinder 1 run (kick failed), 9:53.

FOURTH QUARTER

NH – Rapillo 11 pass from Bonds (kick blocked), 4:06.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

NH – Kinder, 34-287, 2 TDs.

ER –Chandler, 11-40, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

NH – Bonds, 110-16-0, 125, 3 TDs.

ER – Chandler, 23-34-0, 251, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

NH – Rapillo, 4-74, 2 TDs.

ER – Araujo, 7-109, 2 TDs.