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.”
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