| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corona del Mar | 7 | 28 | 14 | 7 | 56 |
| Newport Harbor | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
As time elapsed on the running fourth-quarter clock, the home side of the Davidson Field stands erupted in a spirited sing-along of Sweet Caroline, determined to celebrate under the Friday night lights despite what the scoreboard read.
Corona del Mar won the 58th edition of the Battle of the Bay 56-17, yet it was the Newport Harbor student section singing on the way out. The Sea Kings’ seventh straight win in the cross-town rivalry didn’t generate much excitement from the CdM crowd that filed out in ho-hum fashion. The Tar faithful appeared far more appreciative of their own winning season, even if they can’t win ‘em all.
It was the second-straight loss for the Sailors (7-2, 2-2 in Sunset League play) and not unexpected against a powerhouse CdM team (9-0, 4-0) ranked no. 1 in its CIF division and loaded with Division I college talent.
“Those guys are really good. I mean you gotta give ‘em credit. We knew it was going to be a tall order,” reflected Newport Harbor Head Coach Peter Lofthouse. “They’re tough to stop, they’ve got a really good O-line, they’ve got really good skill guys as everybody knows. Unfortunately, we let them get in their rhythm offensively.”
Still, from the outset Harbor gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about.
On the opening possession, the Sailors controlled the tempo on a 20-play drive consuming more than seven and a half minutes off the clock before senior Jack Starnes hit a 41-yard field goal. Sophomore quarterback Nick Kim hit on 8 of 12 passes during the march including a 7-yard completion to offensive tackle Carter Mathisrud on a batted pass over the middle. The Sailors converted twice on fourth down to sustain the drive and were feeling pretty good with a three point lead… for about :15 seconds.
That’s how long it took CdM return man Zack Green to run the ensuing kickoff back 82 yards for the first touchdown of the game and a 7-3 Sea Kings lead. Ouch.
After punting away its next possession, Harbor’s defense took a stand against the record-setting CdM offense averaging 39 points per game. Washington-bound quarterback Ethan Garbers led an 11-play drive into the second quarter that ended at the goal line when the Tar defense stiffened. Garbers tossed a short pass to Scott Giuliano on first & goal before the junior tight end was hammered in tandem by DB’s Spencer O’Bryan and Austin Muro forcing a fumble. Harbor senior safety Michael Morrison pounced on the loose ball in the end zone securing the game’s first turnover.
The opportunistic Sailors offense responded with a quick 7-play drive to reclaim the lead. Junior running back Justin McCoy burst for 11-yards on the first play and was awarded an extra 15 on a personal foul call against CdM. Kim connected with junior receiver Joe Knipp for a pair of first downs on receptions of 14 and 11 yards before McCoy took a swing pass out of the backfield and broke several tackles on an impressive 20-yard touchdown catch & carry. 10-7, the Sailors took their second lead of the night, but alas, it would be their last.
The Sea Kings scored on their next four possessions in quick succession to take a 35-10 lead at half, then made it five unanswered touchdowns with their first possession of the third quarter. Harbor responded with its final score of the night on a McCoy 2-yard run to cap a 10-play, 81-yard drive making it 42-17. McCoy rushed seven time for 43 yards on the march with Kim connecting with junior receiver James Crowell on a 29-yard completion to set up the touchdown.
“Our kids never quit,” Lofthouse noted. “They played a tough team here and to keep competing the way they did, I was very happy with them.”
McCoy finished with 106 yards rushing on 23 carries with the two TDs. Kim completed 19 of 35 pass attempts for 169 yards and a touchdown with one interception. For CdM, Garbers finished with 353 yards passing and four touchdowns and ran for two more scores. All of his TD passes were to Stanford-bound senior receiver John Humphreys.
Piling injury on top of defeat, the Sailors will be concerned with the status of senior linebacker and co-captain Johnny Brigandi who aggravated a left shoulder injury in the first half and did not return. Kim twisted his left ankle in his final pass attempt but was ready to return to the game, though that wasn’t necessary. As junior QB Cole Lavin recovers from a knee injury, his status for the final Sunset League game against Edison will be evaluated on a day to day basis in the coming week.
“We gotta see where we’re at health-wise,” Lofthouse said. “We know Edison’s a good team. It’s a short week too, which makes it tough as well.”
With expectations of reaching the CIF playoffs, the Sailors host Edison (6-3, 3-1) in the final regular season game on Thursday, Halloween night, at 7:00 pm. A win would give Newport Harbor a share of second place in the final Sunset League standings.
-Matt Morrison