Sailors’ hopes hinge on win

Though the Newport Harbor High football program’s foundation is fortified by a consistent lack of flash, this year’s team, like every Sailors squad during Jeff Brinkley’s 21 seasons at the helm, thinks regularly about at least one photo opportunity.

Per the more than two-decade tradition, Newport Harbor teams that make the CIF Southern Section playoffs have their team picture hung on the Sailors’ locker room wall.

Brinkley has displayed 16 team photos during his tenure, including the last seven.

The 2006 Sailors can decrease their chances of omission in that string of photographs by defeating Fountain Valley in tonight’s Sunset League and regular-season finale at 7 at Huntington Beach High.

The Sailors (5-4, 2-2 in league) can still earn one of the league’s three guaranteed berths in the 16-team Pac-5 Division draw. But barring a Marina upset of Esperanza tonight, the Tars will more likely need a string of events to fall their way in order to capture the division’s lone at-large berth.

The primary competition for the at-large entry will come from the Trinity League, where Orange Lutheran, Servite and Santa Margarita entered the final week tied for first with 3-1 league marks.

The best, and likely only, scenario that could extend the Sailors’ season would be a win over Fountain Valley, combined with a Servite loss to Santa Margarita, also tonight.

That would leave Servite as an at-large candidate with a 6-4 record. Under a new point system used to rank at-large candidates, the Sailors could win a paper battle with Servite, depending on which team’s opponents have the better cumulative record.

Heading into Thursday, each team’s opponents had posted identical 55-36 marks.

Brinkley, however, would prefer his players to focus on the field tonight, against a Baron squad that opened 4-0, but is 1-4 since.

Still, Fountain Valley (5-4, 1-3), which Newport Harbor defeated each of the last two years in nonleague contests, is an able opponent.

The Barons defeated Marina, 38-14, on Oct. 20, while the Sailors posted a 25-16 triumph over the Vikings last week.

Newport Harbor, which upset Esperanza in the league opener, has, like Fountain Valley, lost narrowly to Los Alamitos and by a lopsided margin to Edison.

The Sailors have relied on their defense all season.

The Tars, who feature senior middle linebacker Nick Frazier, senior tackle Mike Calabrese and senior noseguard Charles Vickery, are allowing 12 points per game.

Offensively, the Sailors have struggled to overcome turnovers — they are minus-three in turnover margin this season — and an atypically modest running game.

Sophomore tailback Michael Helfrich, in his second varsity start, rushed for 120 yards on 22 carries against Marina.

It was only the fourth time this season the Sailors had produced a triple-figure output from their tailback.

Senior quarterback Kevin Williams has thrown for 718 yards and six touchdowns. He has completed 56 of 102 with seven interceptions.

The Sailors have 2,036 yards of total offense, barely more than their opponents (1,976).

They are averaging just more than 16 points per game.

Fountain Valley is averaging 22.4 points per game, while allowing 16 per contest.

Junior quarterback Bryse Blake and junior running back T.J. Tafaoga lead the Fountain Valley offense.

The Barons lost to Edison, 31-9, last week.