Record turnout for Sailors

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Having endured the mandatory dead period which

precedes the opening of fall practice, the Newport Harbor High football

team spent the second of its three days in limbo Tuesday, awaiting the

end of the conditioning period and the arrival of full gear and full

contact.

“The kids are excited about starting, but they’re waiting for the gear,

too,” said Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley, who christened his 14th

season at the Sailors’ helm Monday.

Conditioning is something the Sailors have done since the spring, so the

three-day prelude to strapping it on is merely a minor inconvenience as

they prepare to open their 69th varsity season Sept. 9 against Orange at

El Modena High.

“We run our regular practice schedule, we just can’t do a lot of the

things we’d do with bags and scrimmaging,” Brinkley said. “We prescribe a

running program and we keep our weight room open during August, because

it’s pretty tough when we get started, so kids need to stay on top of

their conditioning. Even then, it takes them awhile to get back into the

swing. I can see a big difference from (Monday) to (Tuesday). Practice

was much more crisp.”

Repetition and continuity have been Harbor staples under Brinkley. There

is, however, novelty to this year’s camp, which features 80 players, a

record for a Brinkley-coached team.

Among the masses are 27 junior varsity candidates, most of which won’t

dress for varsity games. But they all take part in the same practice.

“We have the varsity guys practice on one side of the ball (offense),

while the JV is on the other (defense),” Brinkley said. “Then, the next

practice we flip-flop.”