Sailors stick to the plan to defeat Villa Park, 35-16.

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - The formula is simple.

Executing Coach Jeff Brinkley’s not-so-secrets to success, however, can

be somewhat more difficult when played out on the fading, dew-covered

grass of late November, rather than the comfort of a locker room chalk

talk.

The Sailors, however, are sticking to the plan -- run the ball, take care

of the ball and stop the run -- this season and the results have been,

well, almost perfect.

The equation produced a 35-16 victory over visiting Villa Park Friday

night in the CIF Southern Section Division VI quarterfinals.

The No. 2-seeded Sailors (11-0-1) advance into the semifinals for the

fifth time in the last eight seasons. They’ll face surprising Kennedy

(9-3), which upset No. 3-seeded La Mirada, 21-14, Friday. The rematch of

the 1997 semifinal won by Newport Harbor, 38-28, is scheduled for Friday

at a site to be determined by today’s coin flip.

By the numbers Newport’s quarterfinal triumph went thus:

1) Run the ball -- The Sailors rolled up 344 rushing yards, 291 of which

were produced by senior tailback Andre Stewart on 35 carries. Stewart’s

performance, the third-best in 69 Sailor seasons -- upped his season

rushing total to 2,017 yards. It also left him only 66 shy of breaking

the school single-season record Ray Ohrel set in 14 games in 1996.

Stewart, however, earned just one of the hosts’ four rushing touchdowns

Friday, as quarterback Chris Manderino, reserve tailback Ryan Brill and

fullback Travis Trimble also found paydirt behind an offensive line of

Blair Jones, Robert Cole, Nick Haddy, Steve Wukawitz, Luis Cruz and Nick

Langsdorf.

2) Take care of the ball -- The Sailors fumbled only once, after a

43-yard kickoff return past midfield. But they also recovered Villa

Park’s only fumble to keep their turnover ratio at plus-11.

3) Stop the run -- The Sea View League champions held prolific Spartan

tailback Marquis Colvin to 41 yards on 14 carries, 150 fewer than his

average the first 11 games.

Villa Park managed 110 yards on the ground, but 60 of those came on a run

from punt formation, which produced the final score for the Century

League champions (9-3).

Included in another stalwart performance from Orange County’s stingiest

defense was a goal-line stand near the end of the first quarter, which

kept things scoreless.

“That goal-line stand was huge,” Brinkley said of successive stops by

cornerback Stewart, outside linebacker Manderino, Stewart again, and a

swarm which popped the ball loose on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Nose

guard Andy Kalanz recovered the fumble at the Harbor 1-yard line with six

seconds left in the quarter and that was as close as the Spartans came to

taking the lead.

After a 16-yard Justin Jacobs punt return gave Harbor its best field

position to that point -- it’s own 32 -- the Tars used 10 plays to post the first touchdown.

Brill, filling in for Stewart, who accounted for 42 yards on six carries

during the march, capped the drive with a 2-yard run. Brian Gaeta added

the first of his five conversion kicks to make it 7-0 with 5:04 left in

the first half.

Villa Park, which had won its last seven games, answered four plays after

a 43-yard double-reverse kickoff return set them up at their own 48.

Spartan junior quarterback John Henry Jackson, whose playmaking ability

and passing accuracy (11 of 15 for 192 yards) kept the visitors in it,

hit tight end Matthew Creco for an 8-yard touchdown pass to knot the

score.

Newport, however, went 66 yards on seven plays with the ensuing kickoff

to reestablish command, 14-7, 1:22 before intermission. The capper was an

11-yard dart from Manderino to Jacobs, the Tars’ first TD pass of the

postseason.

Newport took the second-half kickoff 71 yards on 11 plays, with Manderino

bowling over on a 9-yard keeper to up the lead to 21-7.

After a 38-yard Bryan Arguello field goal, Stewart capped a 10-play,

97-yard march that included a gutsy fourth-and-one conversion from the

Tars’ own 27.

Arguello, on what appeared to be an impromptu decision based on Newport

pressure, pulled the ball down on a would-be punt and raced 60 yards to

pull the visitors within 28-16. A penalty nullified the subsequent

two-point conversion pass and Manderino broke up the second two-point

pass attempt to protect the 12-point lead with 5:51 left.

An onside kick didn’t work and Harbor went 53 yards on nine plays for to

finalize the scoring and advance.

“Their defense is very good and they just had more than we did,” Villa

Park Coach Pat Mahoney said.

“I’m happy for (our players),” said Brinkley, who scoffed at the notion

that the Sailors’ habit of playing in December is getting old.

“I’m as excited as I can be,” Brinkley said. “We have some excellent

seniors and some good chemistry and I was hoping our kids could advance.”

Now, the Sailors will, for one or two more weeks, try to stick to the

formula.