Sailors escape against Vikes

Barry Faulkner

The Newport Harbor High football team won its Week 2 contest for the

17th time in 18 tries under Coach Jeff Brinkley Friday night. But the

10-6 victory did not come without the Tars tempting fate, and also

tasting a little dose of humility served up by the fired-up Marina

Vikings at Westminster High.

“Those guys worked us to the bone,” Newport Harbor senior

defensive end Austin Nieto said of the Vikings, who seemed intent on

giving the game away, then equally determined to snatch it back.

“They had us going until the very end.”

The Sailors (2-0), ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division

VI, prolonged the suspense in this one by virtually refusing to

capitalize on three prime scoring opportunities in a scoreless first

half.

Brinkley’s bunch did manage to cash in two Marina miscues in the

kicking game to take a 10-0 lead, but the Vikings (1-1) suddenly

engaged their shotgun offense to manage a dramatic comeback that

lasted until the final play.

“[The Vikings] were very physical up front and I have a deep

respect for them,” Newport senior offensive tackle Nick Watkins said.

“If you can escape from a game like this with a win, it makes it a

lot easier to learn from this and try to get better,” Brinkley said.

“We had so many opportunities to put the game away, but we never got

in sync. We did have enough when we had too, though.”

What the Sailors had before intermission, was a failure to enjoy

prosperity, or perhaps more correctly, Marina charity.

Newport’s James Coder blocked a punt to set up the Sailors’ second

possession at the Marina 12 and they had fourth-and-two at the 5,

when Brinkley called timeout. But, hesitant to try a field goal after

a less-than-impressive pregame warmup, the Tars went for it, only to

have a touchdown pass dropped by an open receiver in the end zone.

A 25-yard punt set the Sailors up at the Vikings’ 46 with 3:38

left in the half and they marched to the 13, before being stuffed on

a fourth-and-one play with 1:33 remaining.

On the next play, however, Marina fumbled in the backfield and

outside linebacker Greg Miner fell on the loose ball to give the

Sailors yet another golden opportunity at the Vikings’ 14.

Two plays moved the ball to the 2, but two incompletions and a

sack pushed it back to the 10. Rather than try a 27-yard field goal,

a fourth-down pass sailed harmlessly out of the back of the end zone.

The Sailors’ offense appeared to right itself upon taking the

second-half kickoff, marching 38 yards to create first down at the

Marina 26. But the drive fizzled, once again and a fourth-down

incompletion allowed Marina, which blanked Paramount in its

season-opener, to keep its shutout season alive.

A 7-yard punt, however set Newport up at the Marina 26 and, this

time, senior Brian Campos cashed it in with a 27-yard field goal to

put the visitors on top with 5:57 left in the third quarter.

“That [field goal] was a big relief,” Watkins said. “It shifted

momentum over our way.”

The Newport good fortune continued when the Vikings muffed a punt

and Garrett Guiney recovered at the Marina 13 late in the third

quarter.

The Sailors needed just five plays to finally find the end zone,

as senior tailback Matt Encinias rushed up the middle for a 1-yard

touchdown with 10:49 left in the game. Campos added the conversion

kick, but a Harbor mistake allowed Marina to stay alive.

A procedure penalty wiped out a 51-yard touchdown by Spencer Link

on an end around and Marina eventually took over possession at the

Sailors’ 49.

A 17-yard completion on second down energized the home crowd, then

Matt Brennan found Jason Burch for a 32-yard touchdown pass to pull

Marina close with 6:30 left. The conversion kick sailed wide left,

but Newport failed to move the ball after an unsuccessful onside

kickoff and Marina had new life from its own 8 with 4:01 left.

A completion for 11 and Brennan scrambles of 11 and 19 yards moved

Marina near midfield, but linebacker Trevor Theriot and end Saami

Khalifian combined to sack Brennan for a 14-yard loss.

Burch once again got behind the secondary and Brennan appeared to

loft a strike for what appeared to be the go-ahead TD. But the ball

glanced off Burch’s fingertips and a fourth-down scramble was stopped

short of a first down by linebacker Taylor Young.

Marina, however, got one last chance, taking over on downs from

its own 25 with 0:00.3 left.

But cornerback Matt Erickson picked off Brennan’s desperation

heave and returned it 40 yards as time expired.

“Our defense played great all night,” Brinkley said of a unit that

held Marina to just 120 offensive yards and produced six sacks.

“The defense got it done tonight,” Watkins added.