Sailors earn title share

Newport Harbor handles Laguna Hills to join tie for first, but coin flips could relegate Tars to league’s No. 3 CIF playoff entry.MISSION VIEJO -- The Newport Harbor High football team produced, arguably, its best performance of the season in a 33-13 Sea View League win over Laguna Hills. The victory also gave the Sailors a share of their second straight league championship.

But some coin flips at halftime left Sailors Coach Jeff Brinkley in anything but a celebratory mood.

“We’re going as a No. 3 team,” Brinkley said soon after his players cavorted onto the field on their way to shaking hands with the briefly downcast Hawks at Mission Viejo High.

Moments after each team had retreated into their respective team huddles, it was Laguna Hills that yelled a collective cheer. The exultation came after the Hawks (5-5, 4-1 in league) were informed they would be the league’s No. 1 representative in the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs.

That news is all contingent on there being a three-way tie for first place, which Aliso Niguel (7-2, 3-1) would create with a victory Saturday afternoon over last-place Irvine.

But Brinkley held little faith in an Irvine upset and couldn’t hide his disappointment over what figures to be a first-round playoff road date.

Should Aliso Niguel lose, the playoff fortunes of the Sailors and Hawks would reverse. In the event of a two-way tie for the title, Newport Harbor would get the league’s No. 1 berth by virtue of Thursday’s win.

But if the Sailors can match the efficiency they achieved Thursday, it may not matter where they play next week.

Newport Harbor (7-3, 4-1) -- ranked No. 10 in CIF Division VI, one spot behind Laguna Hills -- scored touchdowns on all three of its second-half possessions.

Yet, the Sailors may have begun more impressively than they finished.

“We took the ball,” Brinkley said of his atypical decision after winning the pregame coin toss. “I felt like we’ve been doing pretty good out of the gate.”

Pretty good was clearly an understatement after Ryan Rippon began the best night of his career by returning the opening kickoff 40 yards to the Sailors’ 42-yard line.

After a personal foul for a late hit and a 4-yard slant pass from Tom Jackson to James Coder, Rippon ripped through a big hole off right tackle for a 39-yard touchdown run with just 22 seconds elapsed.

Rippon, a senior tailback who missed the first four games recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, added touchdown runs of 33 and 3 yards on his way to 236 yards on 25 carries.

“[Rippon] seems to be getting stronger each week,” Brinkley said of his workhorse, who helped the Sailors amass 430 yards of offense.

In addition to his touchdown runs, Rippon had gains of 47, 24 and 18 yards. Operating behind a blocking wall of tackles Charles Schultz and Matt McCullough, guards Alex Flores and Billy Munce, center Lou Truxton and tight end Billy Brown, Rippon gained at least 3 yards on all but six of his attempts.

The Sailors’ ability to reel off yards on the ground helped open up play-action opportunities for Jackson, who took full advantage.

Jackson’s 52-yard scoring bomb to Jarrett Daniel, with 9:02 left in the game, upped the Sailors’ lead to 26-13 and all but sealed the win.

“Jackson is a winner and he made big plays tonight,” Brinkley said of the senior quarterback.

Jackson was 5 of 10 passing for 90 yards, and also gained 35 yards on four rushing attempts.

Jackson ran around the left side for 12 yards on fourth-and-five to set up the Sailors’ second touchdown.

After the Sailors’ opening score, followed by the first of three errant conversion kicks, Laguna Hills pulled even on Dan Prause’s field goals of 40 and 29 yards.

But after Newport Harbor took over following a short punt to the Hawks’ 31, Jackson’s critical fourth-down run keyed a six-play drive to put the visitors back on top.

Two plays after Jackson’s keeper, fullback Jack Tracy went 11 yards off the right side to make it 12-6 with 6:36 left in the first half.

Tracy, whose blocking was also crucial, had 70 yards on four rushing attempts.

Newport Harbor fumbled at its 16-yard line with 4:12 left in the half, but was bailed out when junior middle linebacker Nick Frazier intercepted a pass at his 14 and returned it 19 yards.

Laguna Hills, playing without senior star quarterback and linebacker Dan Urias -- who partially tore a knee ligament in the Hawks’ win last week over Woodbridge, drove 64 yards on nine plays with the second-half kickoff to take its only lead.

But the 13-12 edge lasted just 103 seconds.

Rippon began the ensuing possession with a 24-yard burst off right tackle. He capped the four-play, 80-yard procession with a 33-yard touchdown run with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

This time, the Sailors went for two and Jackson hit Daniel on a well-timed corner pattern to make the score 20-13.

Rippon’s final carry ended in the end zone as he scored with 1:32 remaining to set up Fernando Lara’s conversion kick. It was Lara’s first attempt.

“It was an exciting night for us,” Rippon said. “I thought we had a really balanced approach. Tom Jackson was running and throwing the ball, the offensive line blocked great and Jarrett Daniel was there making plays, as well.”