Sailors cash in for victory

NEWPORT BEACH — Unaware that his football coach was missing from the sideline for half the game, Newport Harbor High’s Chase Obenauer simply did what he was supposed to do.

Crack. Thud.

The senior defensive tackle plowed through Aliso Niguel’s offensive line to record four sacks for a loss of 16 yards in the Sailors’ 16-3 season-opening win.

Coach Jeff Brinkley had to be taken to Hoag Hospital during halftime because his heart rate was unusually fast. He was held overnight for observation, but his wife and assistant coaches said he should be fine.

Meanwhile, Obenauer’s first sack of the night forced a fourth-down 50-yard field goal, Aliso Niguel’s only score in the contest. The second sack cost the Wolverines three yards and forced them to second-and-13, which quickly became third-and-18 after a five-yard penalty.

It was a good night for Newport Harbor’s pass-rushers and a bone-thumping one for Aliso Niguel quarterback senior Casey Pray, who finished 9 of 19 for 111 yards.

But special teams might have stolen the show, even from Obenauer, because of costly blunders that put the Sailors on the scoreboard twice.

Midway through the second quarter, punter Michael Bowlin fumbled the ball in the end zone, and senior Henry Pyle recovered it for an easy touchdown that put the Sailors up 7-3.

But a third-quarter gaffe cost the Wolverines too, when the Aliso Niguel center snapped the ball too high for a Sailors’ safety to make the score, 16-3.

NEWPORT HARBOR 16, ALISO NIGUEL 3

FIRST QUARTER

AN – Bowlin 50 FG, 7:39.

SECOND QUARTER

NH – Pyle fumble recovery in endzone (Freiberg kick), 6:40.

THIRD QUARTER

NH – Frazier 4 run (Freiberg kick), 6:53.

NH – Safety, snap over punter’s head, 5:57.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

AN – Mouleart, 13-35; Swan 7-8; Pray 4-6; Maldonado, 2-36.

NH – Green, 3-71; Frazier, 19-103, 1 TD; Helfrich, 4-16; McDonald, 3-31.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

AN – Pray, 9-19-0, 111.

NH – McDonald, 4-12-0, 87.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

AN – Romano, 1-2; Abdulla, 1-20; Swan, 1-10; Maldonado, 1-minus-4; Caldwell, 1-minus-9; Milner, 1-43; Seymour, 3-46; Mouleart, 1-3.

NH – Frazier, 1-8; Green, 1-49; Joslin, 1-15; Kula, 1-15.