Sailors state case

Steve Virgen

One challenge after the next, Newport Harbor High’s football team has

done its best to conquer each obstacle this season.

Yet another test came to the Sailors Friday night at Newport, in a

game they had to win to have a chance for the playoffs. The

Woodbridge Warriors drew a line in the sand by scoring on their first

drive to take a one-touchdown lead. The Sailors definitely had an

answer, and also sent a huge statement to the officials who will

determine their playoff hopes.

Newport responded to the Warriors’ first TD and went on to win the

Sea View League game, 42-13, most likely securing an at-large berth

in the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs. The pairings will

be announced Sunday.

“We’ve played with adversity all year,” Newport Coach Jeff

Brinkley said. “We lost three games in league and we had to battle

back last week just to get into the position to play for the

playoffs. I think we’ll probably be the at-large team. We certainly

should be. I would be shocked if we weren’t.”

For all the emphasis on the passing game the Warriors had, it

seemed the Sailors, namely sophomore Tom Jackson, beat them to the

punch. Jackson threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns on 15-of-18

passing.

Newport Harbor (7-3, 2-3 in league) put the game away in the first

half, building a 35-7 lead. The Sailors had the ball at the

Woodbridge 43 with just under a minute before halftime and had two

kneel-down plays to kill the clock.

“We knew they had an explosive offense,” Brinkley said. “It took

us a series to get adjusted to it and once we did the kids came back,

we scored and we settled in.

“[To be able to have strong playoff consideration] says a lot

about these guys and it says a lot about their character. We’ve lost

three close games and our quarterback (Kasey Peters) went down with a

broken collarbone. I give them a lot of credit to hang in there.”

After the Warriors’ first touchdown, Newport responded with a

score of its own. The Sailors’ 65-yard scoring drive was aided by a

roughing-the-kicker penalty when Brian Campos was trying to punt. On

the ensuing play, junior receiver Spencer Link completed a 33-yard,

catch-and-run play, the first of his two dynamic touchdowns.

In the third quarter, Link put the exclamation point on Newport’s

victory. With 3:34 left in the third, Link caught a pass at the line

of scrimmage, his own 5-yard line, put a shake-and-bake move on the

defender, ran past him and outran defenders on his way to a 95-yard

touchdown reception that put Newport up, 42-7.

Link compiled 186 yards on 9 catches.

“He’s very tough when you get him in space to tackle,” Brinkley

said. “We put the ball in his hands and he just made a guy miss and

made a great run.”

Link had playoffs on his mind during the play and during the game.

“We all wanted it bad,” Link said. “We all wanted to go the

playoffs and we had the desire to do it.”

After Link’s first TD catch, senior Matt Encinias, who rushed for

159 yards on 20 carries, scored a 9-yard touchdown run, just before

the end of the first quarter. Thomas Martin bowled over a defender to

collect a 4-yard TD run with 8:24 left before halftime. Then Jackson

threw two touchdowns before the teams headed to the locker room.

Newport junior Taylor Young made a spectacular catch, for a 6-yard

touchdown, grabbing a jump ball over a defender, and junior Trevor

Theriot took advantage of Newport’s play-action pass and scored an

8-yard TD.

Campos connected on five of the six conversions, as Newport earned

a two-point play when Jackson threw a pass to Martin after Encinias’

touchdown run.

Newport gained 280 yards in the first half, while Woodbridge (2-8,

1-4) had 122, and 65 of those came on its first drive.

“I had a little worry, but I had a lot of faith in my team and

they pulled through,” Newport senior defensive lineman Austin Nieto

said of the Sailors’ responding to the Warriors’ 7-0 lead. “The

defense played Newport football. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep that

momentum.”