Huntington Beach football wins physical affair at Newport Harbor
Prior to Friday night’s game, Huntington Beach High football coach Brett Brown appeared to expect a defensive game, saying, “We need to get to the ball, and we need to get there in a bad mood.”
Maybe he knew that the Oilers would be geared up to follow through on those words. Last season, Newport Harbor dealt a fatal blow to Huntington Beach’s CIF Southern Section playoff hopes with a 14-point win in a season finale.
As the teams opened Sunset League play on Friday, Huntington Beach’s defense played like a unit bent on revenge.
The Oilers’ defense had five sacks and created five turnovers, as visiting Huntington Beach defeated Newport Harbor 21-3 to extend its winning streak to three games.
At a minimum, Huntington Beach (5-1 overall) has now reached the win requirement to be considered for an at-large selection into the Division 6 playoffs this year.
“We obviously have bigger goals than just going 5-5, but as far as the playoffs are concerned, it’s huge for us to get that fifth win and have that eligibility because who knows what can happen if we can get in,” Brown said.
Junior tight end Christian Moore relished the opportunity to strike back at Newport Harbor (3-2-1) with a win.
“We had a chip on our shoulders because after last year, we were heartbroken,” Moore said. “That was our ticket to the playoffs. We really had some extra motivation to come out and get this win.”
Moore had five catches for 35 yards in a game that did not have a lot of plays made on the offensive side of the ball. His touchdown catch late in the first half may have been the play of the game.
We had a chip on our shoulders because after last year, we were heartbroken. We really had some extra motivation to come out and get this win.
— Christian Moore, Huntington Beach High tight end
Starting at the beginning of that drive, Huntington Beach’s offense appeared to take a hit when quarterback Brandon Cannella struggled to get up following a roughing the passer penalty. The penalty was added to the end of a 33-yard reception by Jeremiah Flanagan, and the legs of Arick McLawyer helped the Oilers get down to the goal line.
With seven seconds on the clock, Cannella reentered the game and lofted an under-thrown fade to the back-right corner of the end zone. Ronin Reid had a beat on the pass defensively, but the officials ruled that Moore was able to wrestle the ball away from the defender and steal a touchdown for the Oilers.
“I thought we had the interception in the end zone,” Sailors coach Peter Lofthouse said. “We saw it on the replay, and it was a good call by the official. Their tight end was able to rip it out.”
Cannella then found Isaac Bryant on the two-point conversion, giving Huntington Beach a 14-3 halftime lead.
Neither offense gained much traction in the first half. Huntington Beach’s Jonah Del Rosario, a sophomore transfer from Troy, opened the scoring with a 61-yard interception return.
On its fifth drive, Newport Harbor finally got on the scoreboard. A 32-yard pass from Cole Lavin to Aidan Goltz up the left sideline got the Sailors down to the Huntington Beach 19. Jack Starnes got the Sailors on the board with a 25-yard field goal with 8:21 remaining in the second quarter.
Tyler Van Leeuwen had a big night defensively, securing an interception and recording a fumble recovery. Cannella threw his second touchdown, a 31-yard strike to Flanagan on a slant-and-go route, on the first play following Van Leeuwen’s fumble recovery.
“On the fumble recovery, props to Chase Quinn,” Van Leeuwen said. “He made a great play. Hit the ball right out of his hands, another present right there. I’ll take both of those plays any day, though. It’s all in a day’s work.”
Huntington Beach came into the game with just eight turnovers created for the season, although its defense had held teams to an average of 16.8 points per contest.
Gunner Brandon Bova recovered a fumble on a punt in the fourth quarter.
“For special teams, it’s all effort, and if we’re around the football, good things are going to happen,” Brown said. “Defensively, we were in the right spot all the time. Yeah, it’s luck, but it’s also our guys running to the football and being around the ball. That’s why the ball was bouncing our way tonight.”
McLawyer had 30 carries for 95 yards. It was not the explosive performance typically turned in by the electrifying senior running back. He had ice on his knee after the game.
For Newport Harbor, tight end Clay Liolios had to be helped off the field. After the game, Liolios was seen outside the locker room walking on crutches, with his right foot in a cast.
Following an interception by Quinn with under five minutes remaining, an altercation occurred when the play came to an end.
Lofthouse said he was sending his defense on the field, but with the fight still going on, the officials ejected senior defensive end Gabe Galdamez (two tackles for a loss).
“The kids were sprinting out to the field because of the sudden change [in possession], and then the dust up happened,” Lofthouse said. “I don’t know what happened. I think it was just two kids jawing at each other.
“I think two kids ran out because it was defense, but the perception was that they were running out to the fight, and that wasn’t the case. That’s what they determined, the officials, and the decision was the decision.”
Sunset League
Huntington Beach 21, Newport Harbor 3
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Huntington Beach 6 – 8 – 7 – 0 — 21
Newport Harbor 0 – 3 – 0 – 0 — 3
FIRST QUARTER
HB – Del Rosario 61 interception return (McLawyer pass failed), 1:03.
SECOND QUARTER
NH – Starnes 25 FG, 8:21.
HB – Moore 1 pass from Cannella (Bryant pass from Cannella), :02.
THIRD QUARTER
HB – Flanagan 31 pass from Cannella (Macy kick), 6:52.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
HB – McLawyer, 30-95.
NH – Seward-Jones, 8-9.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
HB – Cannella, 8-20-0, 101, 2 TDs.
NH – Lavin, 8-18-3, 74.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
HB – Flanagan, 2-64, 1 TD.
NH – Goltz, 3-45.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
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