Two-minute drill

Newport Harbor lost starting tailback Cedric Whitaker and backup Drew Diller to injuries before Friday’s CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division first-round playoff game at No. 4-seeded Lakewood.

When the Sailors saw quarterback Austin Rios go down with a dislocated, left, non-throwing shoulder after he threw a 35-yard touchdown pass that cut the deficit to four points before halftime, the offense stopped consistently moving the ball.

The Lancers dominated the second half, scoring three touchdowns and shutting down the Sailors to advance to the quarterfinals with a 41-17 victory.

The injuries took a toll on the Sailors’ offense. Newport Harbor (6-5) went almost 14 minutes in the second half without getting a first down.

“When you go play them, you better be at full strength,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said of the Lancers (10-1), ranked No. 6 in the state by CalHiSports.com. “They’re a good football team. They’re very physical defensively and very athletic.”

 Estancia would have found it tough enough to move the ball in Friday’s 34-7 loss to Laguna Hills in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs. An injury to the Eagles’ center didn’t help matters.

Coach Mike Bargas said junior center Diego Moya rolled his ankle during the game. With Moya sidelined and the Eagles forced to turn to a backup, they weren’t able to operate their offense as effectively.

“We couldn’t shotgun the ball,” said Bargas, who also saw some bad snaps on special teams, though junior punter John Diego made up for it with some quick kicks. The one time he couldn’t, the punt was blocked and recovered by Laguna Hills in the end zone to create a 27-0 lead early in the second half.

 Sage Hill made its basic offensive scheme work as it took a 17-6 halftime lead over visiting Grace Brethren of Simi Valley in the first round of the CIF Southern Section East Valley Division playoffs Friday.

But the Lancers clearly made the necessary halftime adjustments on both sides of the ball.

Sage managed just six yards and one first down in the final two periods, as its first five second-half possessions went three-and-out.

 There are sure to be several key returners for Costa Mesa High, which lost to Santiago, 24-6, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs Friday. But one player to watch is Andrew Albers, Coach Jeremy Osso said.

The 6-foot-7 265-pound junior left offensive tackle has already been contacted by UCLA, Osso said. Albers was a standout for the Mustangs this season and one who quarterback Todd Davis appreciated. Albers didn’t give up a sack all season, Osso said.

Davis, a senior, is still searching for the right school to play for next year.

“Todd, his parents and I are going to find the school that would best utilize Todd,” Osso said.

Costa Mesa senior Brian Waldron wants to play football and baseball at Chapman University next year, Osso said.

Costa Mesa seniors Travis Whitlock, Corbin Kay, Justin Miller and Jairo Farfan will try to continue their football careers at Santa Ana College next year, Osso said.

 Newport Harbor surely missed the elusive Whitaker.

The junior transfer from San Francisco was closing in on a 1,000 rushing yards in his first year playing high school football. He injured his knee in the regular-season-ending win over Esperanza that helped the Sailors finish in a three-way tie for second place in the Sunset League and earn the Pac-5 Division’s lone at-large postseason berth.

Newport Harbor tried to run the ball against Lakewood and got nowhere. The Sailors finished with 58 yards on 20 carries, a 2.9-yard average.

Brinkley said he wasn’t sure if the Sailors might have kept the game close if Rios had been available in the second half to play quarterback instead of sophomore Cole Blower.

“We were having trouble stopping them,” Brinkley said of the Lancers, who passed for 234 yards and ran for 218. “They’re potent on offense.”

Rios said it was difficult watching the game from the sideline.

“I wanted to come back, but there was just no movement at all,” said Rios, who completed six of 11 passes for 81 yards and one touchdown. “Sometimes things happen that we can’t help.”

 Estancia senior tailback back Alex Abalos had a quiet end to his season, rushing for five yards. For much of the season, Abalos was on pace to break Carlos Mendez’s single-season school record of 1,530 yards, set in 2007.

But Abalos was slowed by a lingering ankle injury for much of the second half of the season. He did have a strong game against Calvary Chapel in the regular-season finale and finished with 1,309 yards and eight touchdowns.

Senior Sean Davis, stepping in, had 419 yards and two touchdowns in Estancia’s final four games. He finished with 561 yards and six scores.

 Sage Hill junior Taylor Ross was a menace to the Lancers all night.

Lining up at quarterback and running back, he carried 20 times for 111 yards, including 99 yards on 12 first-half attempts.

He also sparkled on defense. Playing linebacker and safety, he recovered two fumbles, one of which he caused, and made a near-interception.

For good measure, he booted a 36-yard field goal and two conversions and took a roughing the kicker penalty on another field-goal attempt that extended a Lightning possession that resulted in a touchdown.

 Looks can apparently be deceiving when it comes to Costa Mesa High’s special teams, specifically its kickoff team. Against Santiago, it appeared the Mustangs opened with an onside kick. But Osso said it was just an unintentionally short kick, perhaps because of nerves from playing in a CIF playoff game. The Cavaliers started with a short field, on Costa Mesa’s 48. Three plays later Brian Perez scored on a 41-yard run.

The Mustangs were successful, however, on their “real” onside kick late in the fourth quarter after Josh Erno scored Costa Mesa’s lone touchdown on a six-yard run.

This time, junior Gilbert Quinones recovered the onside kick.

 The strong special teams play of the Sailors had some believing they were on the verge of upsetting a home team in the opening round of the Pac-5 Division playoffs for the second time in three years.

Newport Harbor jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first couple of minutes at Lakewood.

While filling in for the injured Whitaker on special teams, sophomore Buzzy Yokoyama electrified the crowd by returning the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

After a Lakewood turnover, Dillan Freiberg converted a 34-yard field goal and the Lakewood faithful couldn’t believe Newport Harbor was leading. The Lancers’ only loss of the season came in the opener on Sept. 4, when they fell, 28-27, at Crenshaw of Los Angeles, which is now ranked No. 3 in the state.

Lakewood bounced back against the Sailors. The Lancers recorded six of the game’s final seven touchdowns to avoid being stunned in the first round.

In 2007, Newport Harbor upset Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, 7-3.

 Estancia cleaned up its game against Laguna Hills. After committing 15 penalties in its league finale against Calvary Chapel, the Eagles had just two Friday night. One was a false start in the first half, and the other a holding call in the final minute of the game.

Laguna Hills had nine penalties for 70 yards, but it didn’t seem too significant the way the Hawks were able to move the ball.

 Osso said his Mustangs are headed in the right direction.

Part of the reason for his statement came from his belief in the lower-level teams. The Costa Mesa junior varsity team went 5-5. The freshman team was 2-8, but Osso said all but five players on the roster were in their first season of organized football.

— From staff reports