Sailors to face LB Poly

Newport Harbor High football coach Jeff Brinkley thought it was time to see where his team really falls in the Pac-5 Division (formerly Division I).

The Sailors, three-time CIF champions, were none too happy about missing the playoffs last year. A 9-7 loss to Los Alamitos booted them out of the postseason, and they finished 6-4, 3-2 in league.

“After a great run, and a great success, we want to get back to that point where we’re a playoff team and competing with these people,” Brinkley said.

So this year, Newport Harbor is playing against Long Beach Poly in the second game of the preleague season on Sept. 14.

The Sailors open at home against Aliso Niguel Sept. 6.

Brinkley decided a contest against the school that sends more players to the NFL than any other high school in the country would be a good measuring stick for his former Division VI squad.

“They’re always traditionally in the final or the semifinals,” Brinkley said. “It will be a good way to see where we’re at in terms of this division, because Poly is traditionally always right there, generally somewhere deep into the playoffs. It will be a contest where we’ll see some real athleticism and speed that you have to contend with in this division.”

— Soraya Nadia McDonald