CdM savors ’06 Battle of the Bay

What amounted to a three-day holiday weekend for the Corona del Mar High fooball team had nothing to do with Rosh Hashanah.

Rather, the Sea Kings and their supporters spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday reveling in a 14-6 victory over Newport Harbor Thursday night in the 45th edition of the Battle of the Bay.

The win, before a capacity crowd of 5,000 at Newport Harbor High, broke CdM’s seven-game losing streak to the Sailors, who had won 11 of the previous 12 contests between the Back Bay rivals.

Costa Mesa and Estancia joined CdM in celebrating victories, each having significant importance for the two programs.

Sage Hill, as well as previously unbeaten Newport Harbor, will attempt to rebound this week from losses sustained Thursday and Friday.

Here’s how Newport-Mesa coaches broke down Week Four:

The win also set off a lengthy celebration Freeman said would continue until today’s practice in preparation for Saturday night’s game at South El Monte (1-2).

“The bus ride home was crazy,” Freeman said of the postgame atmosphere Thursday. “But it took a while for them to clear us off the field. They even shut the lights off to try and get us to leave.”

Freeman said he held a brief practice Friday, for those not involved in the junior varsity game, and he gave his players Saturday off.

The Sea Kings forced six Newport Harbor turnovers, one of which produced a touchdown.

They also cashed in on a big play on offense, as Ford Noe broke a tackle after a catching a short out from quarterback Taylor Hughes and went 80 yards for a touchdown with 2:44 left in the first half .

Noe’s touchdown, followed by Charlie Albright’s conversion kick, put the Sea Kings ahead for good. But Albright returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the half to finalize the margin of victory.

“We didn’t particularly play a great football game,” Freeman said. “But we had the takeaways on our side, for a change. We’re usually the ones fumbling down by the end zone.”

Freeman said outside linebacker Tom Folks put a helmet on the ball to force the fumble that Albright returned for a TD.

It was typical of the hard-hitting affair.

Freeman praised the passing of Hughes (13 of 19 for 177 yards and no interceptions), and some timely receptions, most notably those by sophomore receiver Max Haase.

“Our line didn’t run block very well, but the guys did a good job in pass protection,” Freeman said.

CdM came in minus-three in turnover margin, but is now plus-three.

And while Osso admitted to some initial disappointment about the lack of a blowout victory against a team that crosstown rival Estancia defeated, 56-0, on Sept. 8, he said watching the videotape lessened those concerns.

“Some of us were caught up in wanting to do what Estancia did, so we could impress people,” Osso said. “But when I looked at the tape, I was happy because we played better than I thought we did. At the same time, I believe our kids realize we have a long way to go to get where we want to be as a team.”

Osso said sophomore cornerback Manuel Gomez, taken from the field in an ambulance after being knocked out and sustaining a concussion, is expected to return after this week.

“He was joking with his teammates, before they took him away,” Osso said. “They took him as a precautionary measure. He was back at school [after the game], before we were done changing.”

Osso said he was also thrilled with the play of sophomores Robbie Gemayel and Juan Garces, at linebacker and defensive tackle, respectively.

“Gemayel really filled aggressively and Garces played a great game on both sides of the ball [he also starts at offensive guard],” Osso said. “One of our weaknesses was that teams have been running up the middle at will on us. I think that will change.”

“To be down by 19 points in the second quarter and to rally to win, shows us we can come back, no matter how far we get down,” Barnes said. “It was a character-building win.”

Barnes said he could sense his players’ determination at halftime, after seeing a 14-0 lead turn into a 33-14 deficit, before scoring with 12 seconds left in the half to make it 33-21.

“Everyday we preach to them that the character you choose, determines your destiny,” Barnes said. “We put that phrase on every scouting report and we tell the kids everyday. If you choose to have great character, you’re going to be great.”

Barnes praised the offensive line of tackles Connor McKendry and Sean Ulrich, guards Kristian Carranza and Alex Machuca, and center David Lopez, for helping Raphael Alejandre amass 180 of the team’s 425 rushing yards.

Barnes said senior receiver-safety Matt Redding sustained a mild concussion, but should be ready to play Saturday against La Quinta (0-3), at Bolsa Grande.

“I don’t think we could have asked much more from the defense, than to hold them to five first downs, three of which came on their last drive, and 27 yards rushing,” Brinkley said.

“And, offensively, we had 18 first downs and rolled up [340] yards. We just self-destructed and didn’t get into the end zone. We were moving the ball, we just didn’t take care of it.”

Brinkley said the challenge now will be letting go of any lingering disappointment.

“We’ve got to turn the page and get ready for the next one [Friday at home] against Dana Hills which is coming off a win over Loyola.

Dana Hills (1-3) beat the perennially powerful Cubs, 17-14, Thursday.

“Football hasn’t changed in 200 years,” Monarch said. “If you don’t win in the trenches, it really doesn’t matter what X’s and O’s you use on either side of the ball. They were just more physical than us.”

Monarch said the preceeding bye week also affected the Lightning’s intensity and effectiveness.