Sailors reshuffling and reloading

With graduation and other forces annually stirring the personnel pot,

high school football programs are continually in transition.

At Newport Harbor High, however, the constant roster rollover has

been countered by uncommon stability within the coaching staff.

Coach Jeff Brinkley, entering his 20th season, has inspired rare

loyalty among those on his staff, including veteran assistants Bill

Brown, Tony Ciarelli, Mike Bargas, Matt Burns and Bill Calloway.

For the first time in several years, however, the coaching staff

has undergone some change.

Pat Paternie, who helped tutor defensive linemen as a walk-on for

eight years, has stepped down to concentrate on business interests.

In addition, Evan Chalmers, who has guided the secondary and spent

five seasons as defensive coordinator after joining the staff in

1997, has elected to concentrate on baseball, for which he was named

head coach in July.

The Sailors, however, welcome an old friend back into the coaching

ranks as Zaverio Brenner, who spent two seasons guiding the offensive

line in 1997 and ‘98, returns to take the same position.

Brenner was a longtime assistant at Irvine and, most recently at

Northwood. He has retired as a teacher from Northwood

Brenner’s arrival, allows Bargas to shift back to the defensive

line, after working the last several seasons with the offensive

trench dwellers.

But no matter how well the coaches prepare their players, success

or failure on the field will ultimately rest on the shoulders of

those wearing shoulder pads.

Here’s a position-by-position personnel breakdown of this year’s

Sailors:

Quarterback: Kasey Peters’ rifle arm produced 2,140 passing yards

and 23 touchdown passes last season, on his way to being named Sea

View League Offensive Player of the Year, All-CIF Southern Section in

Division VI and representing the South in the Orange County All-Star

game.

But while senior Tom Jackson can’t match Peters’ velocity, he

showed signs two seasons ago he could approach similar productivity.

Jackson, tabbed as a sophomore to fill in when Peters broke his

collarbone in Week 7 of the 2003 season, proceeded to complete 49 of

97 for 739 yards, with eight TD tosses and only four interceptions.

He completed both of his passing attempts last season as a backup for

13 yards and one TD.

Jackson, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, started last season at safety and

could return to that role, in addition to triggering the offense.

“He’s a pretty nice passer, and he’s a little more athletic than

some of our past quarterbacks,” Brinkley said. “He moves well and we

may move the pocket with him and do some things.

Junior Kevin Williams, who quarterbacked the unbeaten junior

varsity team last fall, is the primary backup.

“He has a little more arm strength than Tom and he’s also pretty

athletic,” Brinkley said. “He’s a very capable guy.”

Williams completed 3 of 4 passes last season for 30 yards.

Running backs: Senior Ryan Rippon was slated to carry the load at

tailback, but surgery to repair a torn left ACL will force him to

miss as many as the first five games.

Jasen Ruiz, a junior who had been moved to receiver, will shift

back to tailback and lead a group of players expected to contribute,

until Rippon returns.

Rippon (6-0, 200) who missed most of the first seven games last

season with a right knee injury, managed to rush for 409 yards on 65

carries, including a pair of 100-yard-plus performances.

“Rippon is 200 pounds and can run, so when he gets into the

secondary, he’s a tough guy to tackle,” Brinkley said.

Brinkley said Ruiz (5-8, 170) offers a different look.

“He has a little more shake,” Brinkley said of Ruiz, who gained 67

yards on 23 carries as a sophomore, including one touchdown.

Senior Jack Tracy (6-1, 220) is a returning starter at fullback

and he is expected to get double duty at middle linebacker, as well.

Tracy, the prototypical punishing blocker the Sailors covet at

fullback, carried seven times for 29 yards as a junior. He did catch

nine passes for 97 yards and three TDs.

“[Tracy] is one of the strongest guys on the team,” Brinkley said.

“He cleaned 313 pounds in the summer. He catches the ball well and

we’ll use him in some one-back sets.”

Seniors Keith Eldridge and David Rosales should see time in the

backfield. Eldridge showed flashes last season in a reserve role. He

scored three TDs on just 13 carries, including one 92-yarder. He had

223 yards for the season.

Senior Delano McKenzie led Newport rushers with 26 yards on six

carries, including a pair of 3-yard scoring runs, in Friday’s

scrimmage against Trabuco Hills.

Rosales and junior Nick Frazier are backup fullbacks, while junior

Charles Vickery also provides depth.

Receivers: Senior James Coder (6-0, 180) is a returning starter

here and is expected to assume an even bigger role after catching 27

passes for 371 yards and four TDs last fall.

Spencer Link, one of several All-CIF honorees last season,

graduated after amassing a school-career-record 150 catches in three

varsity seasons.

Junior Jarrett Daniel has emerged at the other wideout, while Ruiz

and Eldridge spent much of the summer learning the receiver position

and should be utilized here as well as in the backfield, Brinkley

said.

Brinkley said Daniel opened some eyes with a strong summer and he

led all Sailor receivers with four receptions for 27 yards in the

scrimmage.

Seniors Travis Duffield and Brett Green are expected to add depth.

A pulled quadriceps limited Duffield’s availability in the spring

and summer.

Tight end: Senior Billy Brown (6-3, 210) is the projected starter

after catching four passes for 66 yards as a junior.

The grandson of veteran running backs coach Bill Brown earned

praise from Brinkley for his athleticism and pass-catching ability.

“He’s probably one of the best receiving tight ends we’ve had,”

Brinkley said.

Frazier is expected to see some time, particularly when the

Sailors employ two tight ends.

Offensive line: Seniors Charles Schultz and Alex Flores are

returning starters on a unit Brinkley considers the strength of the

team.

Both, however, were nursing injuries that could sideline them for

the start of the season, Brinkley said.

Schultz (6-4, 332) started at right tackle last season, but will

shift to left tackle this fall. He was a second-team All-Sea View

League performer in 2004. He has been hobbled by an ankle injury.

Flores (6-2, 206) brings experience and stability at left guard,

but he is currently out for an unspecified time with shoulder

tendonitis.

Senior Billy Munce (6-0, 259), who had earned the starting job at

right guard, suffered a broken arm in early drills. The injury

figures to sideline him at least through the preleague season.

Senior Lou Truxton (6-1, 211) is frontrunner at center and senior

Matt McCullough (6-5, 275) is expected to start at right tackle.

Junior Mike Calabrese (6-1, 221) and senior Elijah Jensen (6-2,

211) are expected to fill in at guard until Flores returns.

Brinkley said junior Frank Muscatello (6-1, 383) and senior Chris

Ridgeway (6-3, 261) are also quality players who would create little

drop-off, should they be required to step in.

Muscatello is a tackle, while Ridgeway can play guard or tackle.

Defensive line: Senior Ryan Uhl (6-0, 270), one of only two

returning starters on defense, is one of the team’s strongest players

and he’ll apply that strength to shedding blockers at either tackle

or noseguard,” Brinkley said.

Uhl had 21 tackles, including two sacks, last season.

“He’s an extremely strong kid who has a year of starting under his

belt,” Brinkley said.

Brinkley said senior Bryan Fiske (6-2, 269) and Calabrese (6-1,

221) are the candidates at the other tackle. And should Fiske get the

nod, Calabrese would likely shift to a starting end spot.

Senior Erik Ray (6-3, 210) is a leading candidate to start at one

end spot, though Brinkley said senior Scott Andrews (6-1, 201) and

junior Jayme Ohlhaver (5-11, 187) are also in the picture.

Ohlhaver had a sack and forced a completion against in the

preseason scrimmage.

Brinkley said Jensen (6-2, 211) should provide depth at end and

McKenzie is a potential contributor at nose.

Linebackers: Tracy is expected to take over at middle linebacker,

where Thomas Martin amassed a team-leading 97 tackles en route to

Newport-Mesa and Sea View League Defensive Player of the Year honors

as a senior last season.

Tracy’s propensity for collisions will also be satisfied in his

return to the starting fullback job.

Brown and Rosales are the frontrunners at outside ‘backer, where

Rippon was projected to see double duty, before hurting his knee.

Brown saw some action here last season.

Frazier is also someone expected to contribute, most likely

spelling Tracy, while Vickery and McKenzie supply depth outside.

Brinkley said Green is someone who may also receive a look at

linebacker, though the plan is to try him in the secondary first.

Secondary: Jackson was fifth on the team last season with 54

tackles and had one of the team’s 15 interceptions. His role at

quarterback may allow someone to take over the starting free safety

job, but his athleticism and aggressiveness may make him

irreplaceable.

Green is the frontrunner at strong safety.

Fernando Lara, a senior transfer from Saguaro High in Arizona, has

made a strong impression at cornerback, where Brinkley lists him as a

likely starter.

“[Lara] played well in the summer,” Brinkley said. “He had two

picks in a passing league game against Long Beach Poly.”

Eldridge and Coder are possible starters at the other corner, said

Brinkley, who added Duffield into the pool of contenders, should he

respond from his thigh injury.

Ruiz is also someone who could contribute.

Kicking game: Brinkley said a summer visit to UNLV prompted a more

intense off-season concentration on special teams, particularly

individual instruction on specific techniques.

Duffield returns at kicker, where he converted 52 of 55 PATs last

season and kicked two field goals in four attempts.

Duffield also punted last fall, averaging 28.8 yards on 49 punts,

14 of which wound up inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. His longest

punt was 53 yards.

Frazier could also kick, said Brinkley, who plans to utilize him

on kickoffs, where his leg strength allows him to occasionally reach

the end zone.

Brown returns as the long-snapper, Jackson is the holder and Coder

will assume the responsibility of returning punts, Brinkley said.

Coder will be joined by Eldridge as the deep men on opponents’

kickoffs.