Daily Pilot Football Player of the Week, Dayne Pfaff: Secondary

education

Barry Faulkner

Mistakes in the secondary are always a primary concern. No one

knows this better than Newport Harbor High senior Dayne Pfaff.

But with the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder manning the strong safety position,

mistakes have been all but unnoticeable for a Sailor defense which has

allowed an Orange County-low 99 points.

“There’s pressure playing in the secondary, but you learn to deal with

it,’ Pfaff said. “It used to make me nervous, but nervousness didn’t help

my play. I try to overcome any nerves I have and be confident going into

every game.”

Pfaff’s play has inspired confidence from teammates and Sailor coaches.

After battling through spring, summer and fall drills to win the starting

job, Pfaff (pronounced Poff) has emerged as a major contributor to the

Tars’ run toward Friday’s CIF Southern Section Division VI title game

against Irvine.

He shares the team lead with five interceptions and his 53 tackles rank

fourth among Sailors.

“Dayne has really stepped up this year and done a good job for us,”

Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said. “He’s matured as an athlete and

he’s come a long way with his attitude.”

Pfaff’s heroics went a long way toward protecting the Sailors’ shutout in

a 49-point semifinal drubbing of Kennedy Friday.

He was in on six tackles and broke up a pass, but his most noteworthy

contribution terminated the Fighting Irish’s best scoring threat.

After Kennedy took 11 plays to move the ball from its 19-yard line to the

Harbor 5, Irish Coach Mitch Olson, already down, 21-0, just three minutes

into the second quarter, elected to go for it on fourth-and-2. Olson

called for a halfback pass and as Steve Yaden rolled right, toward the

sideline, he lofted the ball directly into Pfaff’s zone.

“It hit me in the face,” said the Daily Pilot Player of the Week, who

hauled in the interception and returned it 24 yards.

“I was a little confused, about whether I needed to charge up and rush

the guy, which is what I started to do. But, just then, he started to

throw the ball, so I backed up. It came right to me, just like in one of

our drills.”

Pfaff, a Jr. All-American Football veteran, was drilled on football

fundamentals well before he came to Newport Harbor.

“He’s one of our better hitters in the secondary and he’s one of those

guys who has a nose for the ball,” Brinkley said. “He has good instincts

and he seems to have that knack for reading quarterbacks. I remember he

picked off a pass in a JV game and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown.”

There was a time when Pfaff’s only opportunity to contribute was during

junior varsity games. After years of being one of the best players on the

team, he found himself a lowly sophomore, buried on the varsity bench.

The experience prompted him to miss a few practices and ponder his future

in the sport.

“I just wasn’t into it,” he recalled.

Pfaff’s diminishing interest in football carried over to his junior year,

when more unexcused absences led to a two-game suspension.

But, faced with the decision to get with the program or walk away, he

assured Brinkley he would do whatever it took to contribute.

Pfaff wound up starting two late-season games at cornerback, which

propelled him into the off-season competition for one of the safety

spots.

When returning strong safety Billy Clayton missed the fall scrimmage with

a migraine, and was later sidelined for nearly four games with a deep

thigh bruise, Pfaff proved indispensable.

“Billy’s injuries really opened the window of opportunity for me and, by

the time he came back, the coaches decided to rotate (Clayton) in at

(free safety),” Pfaff said.

Pfaff is proud to be a part of such a stifling defense and thankful he

decided to stick with the sport.

“To be playing for a championship with great friends I’ve had all my

life, is awesome,” he said. “The 1990s (three previous title-game

appearances, including the 1994 Division V crown) have been great for

Harbor football. Now, it’s on us to finish that off with a championship

ring.”