Moose is loose for the Sailors

Rick Devereux

When the ball is handed off to No. 44 for Newport Harbor High, the

crowd will start screaming, “Moooooose.” Trevor Theriot inevitably

runs trough an arm tackle or two, lowers his shoulder to plow past an

defender, and finally punches out a stiff arm in the open field to

gain even more yards.

But this scene wasn’t always the case. Theriot has been the

fullback paving the way for other runners to gain yards and get the

glory. But with projected starter Ryan Rippon out with ligament

damage to his knee, Theriot is now the one getting the attention.

“My favorite thing about running with the ball is I like to be the

guy in the spotlight,” the senior said. “I used to get ball a lot at

the freshmen level and junior All-American level, so I’m used to

running with ball.”

Theriot gained a career-high 153 rushing yards and one touchdown

on 12 carries in the Sailors’ 35-0 win over Marina to earn Daily

Pilot Athlete of the Week honors. Through the first two games,

Theriot has carried the ball 32 times for 228 rushing yards and one

touchdown. In 11 games last year, including the CIF Southern Section

Division VI opening round loss to Los Altos, the one they call

“Moose” had 32 attempts for 172 yards and one score.

“I think in terms on of offense he’s excited about caring the ball

a little more,” Coach Jeff Brinkley said. “He has adequate speed and

is one of faster guys on the team in the [40-yard dash]. We knew he

had the ability to carry the ball and he enjoys it.”

Theriot’s running style is reminiscent of Mike Alstott of the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even though the nickname is the same as Daryl

Johnston of the Dallas Cowboys. And his bullish running inspires

those on the field along with those in the stands.

“I think it’s a bonus for the offensive linemen to see a back run

hard and get extra yards,” Brinkley said. “It makes their job easier

and makes them want to block with a little more intensity.”

His north-south, run-you-over style on offense translates to his

style at linebacker.

“How I play linebacker is straight forward and aggressive,”

Theriot said. Normally an outside ‘backer, Theriot has played the

first two game in the middle to fill the void left by All-Sea View

League linebacker Tomas Martin, who sat out with a stomach ailment.

Martin is expected to back today against Corona del Mar, which means

the Moose in the middle will move back to outside.

“I’ve been playing middle linebacker all my life, ever since

Junior All-Americans,” Theriot said. “They put me at outside once I

got on varsity, but I’ll go where ever the team needs me.”

His team-first mentality has helped the coaching staff deal with

the rash of injuries Newport Harbor has suffered at the beginning of

the season. Theriot has played outside and inside linebacker as well

as tailback and fullback.

“It’s tough at times [to learn the different positions], but since

I’ve been around the program three years it’s not totally foreign to

me,” said Theriot, who also holds a 4.0 GPA and is being scouted by

most PAC-10 schools.

“He is a really great young man,” Brinkley said. “He has never

missed one day of any football activity since he has been here. Not

one practice or off-season workout. He is one of the team captains

and he has been very solid for the program.”