Michael McDonald

Barry Faulkner

Michael McDonald wants the fortunes of his team in his hands, but

he’ll settle for the ball. And, after starting last season at

receiver and free safety, the Newport Harbor High senior’s wish was

granted this season, when he took over the quarterback job from

decorated two-year starter Morgan Craig, who is now at USC.

Predictably, the son of former USC and NFL quarterback Paul

McDonald is having a ball as the trigger man in a passing attack

that, to this point, has upstaged the program’s perennially vaunted

running game.

The 6-foot, 180-pound signal caller has thrown for 644 yards and

five touchdowns this season, including a 201-yard, three-touchdown

outing in the Sailors’ 36-7 nonleague home win over Dana Hills Oct.

3. The Newport running game, which has traditionally accounted for

about 70% of the team’s offense, has gained 599 yards this season.

The Daily Pilot Player of the Week was 12 of 17 without an

interception against the Dolphins, connecting with three different

receivers on scoring strikes of 18, 71 and 27 yards. His completion

percentage would have been even more impressive, but three perfect

strikes were dropped by receivers.

Accuracy, touch and timing, all of which he displayed by

completing 17 of 22 for 214 yards and three TDs, without an

interception, in mop-up assignments last season, are just part of the

skill set he brings to the high-profile position.

Having learned at his father’s knee, including frequent weekend

throwing sessions since he was 10, gives McDonald, he believes, an

advantage over other prep quarterbacks.

“I’ve been around football pretty much my whole life,” McDonald

said, “so I’ve learned a lot of the little things. My Dad has taught

me a lot about leadership, about not showing weakness to the other

team and being composed throughout the game, because everyone is

looking to you.”

McDonald said he has also learned a great deal from Sailors Coach

Jeff Brinkley, a former standout quarterback himself who is also the

team’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. McDonald believes

the best thing Brinkley has given him is his trust.

“Coach Brinkley emphasizes that a quarterback can’t win the game

by himself, but he can lose it,” McDonald said. “I never want to be

the guy who loses the game for my team. But being the quarterback and

all the responsibility that goes with it is awesome. It’s just fun to

go out there and have the opportunity to make a play to help win the

game. You don’t have as many of those opportunities playing receiver

or safety, because you don’t always have the ball in your hand. I’m

trusted by my coaches and teammates with that responsibility.”

After a somewhat shaky start in a 16-8 nonleague loss at Trabuco

Hills, McDonald has rewarded that trust, leading the Sailors to three

straight wins, the No. 3 ranking in CIF Southern Section Division VI

and the No. 9 ranking in Orange County.

“He’s a very accurate thrower and a very confident thrower,”

Brinkley said of McDonald, who has completed 44 of 79 this fall

(55.7%). “He has really started to throw it well the last couple

weeks. We just tell him to play within the system and he’ll be fine.”

McDonald echoed his coaches’ assessment.

“It has taken awhile to get comfortable playing quarterback again

and I think I’m just now figuring things out and getting a grasp on

it,” McDonald said. “I’ve had to settle down. The first game this

year, I was a little sporadic and I tried to force the ball down the

field too much. But I’ve learned you have to take what the defense

gives you. You never know when a receiver will turn a little 5-yard

pass into a big play just by breaking a tackle. You can’t always take

the home-run shot. Sometimes, it’s about moving the sticks, getting

first downs and keeping our defense off the field. Ideally, we want

to wear the other team’s defense down, so they’re tired in the fourth

quarter.

McDonald never grows tired of studying the game. He spends at

least two hours a week watching videotape of opposing defenses and,

along with the preparation imparted by Brinkley and his staff, has a

broad knowledge of where he wants to attack on game nights.

“By watching film, you get a good idea of what the defense is

going to do,” McDonald said. “I make my pre-snap reads to see how the

defense is lined up and I’m always talking to coach during a game

about what the defense is doing. (Brinkley) picks out good plays to

make it easy for me and I also have the freedom to audible and get

from a bad play to a good play.”

Having seen the game through the eyes of a receiver and a

defensive back also gives McDonald a more rounded perspective.