Tars drop anchor on Trabuco

Patrick Laverty

Newport Harbor High’s football team began the 2003 season with a bang

Thursday, thumping Trabuco Hills, 35-8, in a nonleague game at

Davidson Field and gaining revenge for a season-opening loss to the

Mustangs last year.

As lopsided as the score was, the real story was turnovers. A

young and inexperienced Sailors team didn’t commit a single one and

never put the ball on the ground. On the other side, Newport Harbor

recovered four of Trabuco Hills’ six fumbles and also intercepted a

pass on its way to the rout.

The defense came through early, taking the pressure off junior

quarterback Kasey Peters, who was making his first varsity start. On

a blitz from the outside linebacker position, Greg Miner sacked

Trabuco Hills quarterback Alex Aubel from behind, knocking the ball

loose upon contact, and defensive end Saami Khalifian scooped it up

and rumbled 39 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead less than

three minutes into the contest.

“It was an incredible feeling,” Miner said. “I got the blitz call

and I just went for it.”

Miner actually showed blitz on the play, attempting to anticipate

the snap count, but was never picked up by a Mustangs blocker.

Khalifian simply scooped up the bouncing ball and never looked back.

“Miner made a great sack,” Khalifian said. “He hit it and I just

scooped it up. I didn’t even know what was happening until I was in

the end zone.”

The Mustangs didn’t know what hit them either and never recovered

as the Sailors’ defense continued to come up big when Newport Harbor

needed it the most.

With the early lead, Peters looked comfortable in the pocket and

completed 5 of 6 passes for 118 yards in the first half alone. Two of

those passes went for touchdowns as Peters found Spencer Link on a

19-yarder in route for a score with 1:08 left in the first quarter

and late in the second quarter the two hooked up again on a 56-yard

post pattern for a touchdown.

The relationship between the quarterback and wide receiver began

developing well before Thursday night.

“We’ve been playing together since we were little, in Jr.

All-American,” Link said. “We’ve always had the connection.”

The pair hooked up again in the fourth quarter, on a quick slant

where Link cut in front of Mustangs defensive back T.J. Hopson and

stole the ball away from him for a 3-yard touchdown.

Peters finished 7 of 12 for 131 yards and most importantly, no

interceptions.

“He’s throwing the ball really well,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff

Brinkley said. “He gets out here under the lights and he really fires

those passes and he’s throwing the ball with accuracy too.”

When Peters wasn’t moving the Sailors in the air, Matt Encinias

was doing it on the ground. The senior, starting at tailback for the

first time, ran for 120 yards on 19 carries. He was never thrown for

a loss and picked up 4 yards or more 13 times. He added a 1-yard

touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Khalifian recovered two fumbles in the game and Miner added a

fumble recovery as well, while Matt Erickson intercepted Aubel.

But possibly the most impressive display by the Sailors defense

came on a goal-line stand midway through the third quarter.

After scoring its first points of the night when 6-foot-7,

297-pound Louis Saucedo blocked Brian Campos’ punt out of the end

zone for a safety, Trabuco Hills drove 45 yards to the Newport Harbor

2-yard line.

On second-and-goal, Aubel handed off to running back P.J. Vallier,

who was stopped one yard shot of the goal line by Taylor Young. On

third-and-goal from the one-yard line, Vallier was held to no gain by

Young and Sean Rowe. The Mustangs went for the touchdown on fourth

down, this time trying Aubel on a quarterback sneak, but Peter Hoyt

and Khalifian prevented Aubel from leaning into the end zone, forcing

the Mustangs to turn the ball over on downs.

After allowing Vallier to rush for 102 yards on 18 carries in the

first half, the Sailors held the Mustangs sophomore to 25 yards on 15

carries over the final 24 minutes.

It was an impressive performance for a defense that returned just

two starters and threw a trio of junior linebackers, none of whom had

made varsity start into the fire.

Even more impressive was the composure of one of those linebackers

after the game.

“I don’t think we’ve proved anything yet,” Miner said. “We still

have a whole season to go.”