Prep football: Comets outrun Tars

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - They aren’t called the Comets for nothing.

Using superior speed that eluded Newport Harbor High tacklers all

night, visiting Westchester ran to a 26-22 nonleague football victory

that might cost the previously unbeaten Sailors the No. 1 seed when the

CIF Southern Section Division VI playoff bracket is revealed Sunday at

the section office.

Westchester (8-1), ranked No. 4 in the Los Angeles City Section,

rallied twice from deficits to hand the Sea View League champions

(8-1-1), ranked No. 5 in Orange County and No. 1 in CIF Division VI,

their first defeat of the season Friday on the losers’ field.

“Westchester played well and I give them a lot of credit,” Newport

Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said after the loss, only the second in the

school’s last 40 contests against teams not in the Sea View League. “We

have a long way to go in terms of what we want to accomplish in the

playoffs,”The playoff road was also made more difficult by the loss of

senior two-way starter Bryan Breland, who broke his lower left leg near

the end of the third quarter. The returning All-Sea View League and

All-Newport-Mesa District offensive guard, who also has played tackle and

end on defense this fall, will miss the remainder of the season.

“The big loss of the night was losing Breland,” Brinkley said.

Defeat on the field came down to some crucial first downs -- ones

Westchester converted for its last two touchdowns, as well as three the

Tars did not, to end their last three possessions.

Westchester opened what appeared was going to resemble a track meet

when Reggie Turner dashed 47 yards with the opening kickoff. The Western

League champions, whose only loss was a season-opening nonleague clash

with powerful Lonb Beach Poly, needed just five plays to cover the

remaining 43 yards, with quarterback Brian Johnson scoring from 20 yards

out on an option keeper with just 107 seconds elapsed.

Two plays after it punted on its first possession, Newport junior

outside linebacker Matt Encinias intercepted at the Westchester 38 to get

Harbor rolling.

The result was a seven-play scoring drive capped when Matt Casserly

leaped over left tackle and into the end zone with 6:41 left in the first

quarter. The first of two Adam Kerns conversion kicks erased what was

only the second deficit the Tars faced all season.

Newport’s defense, which came in yielding an Orange County low 54

points, forced a three-and-out on the Comets’ next possession and the

Tars offense drove 75 yards on 10 plays to take the lead.

Five Dartangan Johnson carries and four Morgan Craig completions did

the damage, as well as a key Craig keeper for a 3-yard keeper on

third-and-one. Craig hit Brian Gaeta on a 20-yard out for the touchdown,

with one second left in the opening period.

Westchester, however, drove 67 yards on 13 plays to come within one,

which is where it stayed when Mike McDonald blocked the conversion kick

after Johnson’s 1-yard sneak with 6:23 left in the half.

After Nick Iverson downed a Kerns punt at the Westchester 3, the

Comets used just six plays to slash through the Sailors defense for a

97-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 22-yard touchdown pass from Johnson

to Robert Hamilton on fourth-and-11 with 1:15 left before intermission.

Kerns and defensive end Jim Rothwell stopped the two-point run try

short to keep the deficit at 19-14.

Newport marched 74 yards with the second-half kickoff, using 13 plays

and more than half the quarter to take the lead and a two-point pass from

Craig to Gaeta gave Harbor a 22-19 lead.

That was where it stayed as Tyler Miller and David Marshall each

forced Westchester fumbles that were recovered by Kerns and Cory Ray,

respectively on the next two Comet possessions.

Newport got to the Westchester 3 after the first fumble recovery, but

Craig was sacked on fourth-and-goal from the 8.

Harbor made it to the Westchester 20 after the second recovery, but

three straight incomplete passes, the last on fourth down, ended the

threat with 6:07 left in the game.

That’s when the visitors went to work. Brandon Hampton’s second-effort

surge gave him 2 yards on fourth-and-one from the Harbor 20, but a

combined sack by Miller and Scott Kohan helped bring up fourth-and-2 from

the 10.

Westchester Coach Larry Wein called timeout and, rather than

attempting the field goal for the tie, trusted his athletes.

“I had more faith in (Mike Sanford) than I do my kicker,” he said with

a smile. Sanford didn’t disappoint, as he took a swing pass in the left

flat and outraced two would-be tacklers to the end zone for the

game-winner with 1:19 left.

Kerns returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to his own 47 and Craig

hooked up with Jon Vandersloot for 17 yards to the Comets’ 36.

But after a spike to stop the clock, the Westchester secondary came up

big on three subsequent incompletions, including separating a Sailor

receiver from the ball on a post pattern near the 10-yard line on fourth

down.

“For two teams with nothing at stake, this was a great game for

everyone to watch,” Wein said.

Johnson finished with 172 rushing yards on 32 carries for the Sailors,

while Gaeta finished with eight receptions for 135 yards.

Craig threw for 165 yards, but Johnson, his counterpart, threw for 196

yards and two TDs, and rushed for 60 yards and two TDs.