Daily Pilot Football Player of the Week, Kelsey Peterson: Enlisted

to defend

Barry Faulkner

For someone who plans to help defend his country, combating the

Irvine High passing attack proved considerably less daunting.

And so it was that Newport Harbor High senior Kelsey Peterson, who plans

to attend the United States Naval Academy, helped put the Sailors in ship

shape to win the CIF Southern Section Division VI football championship

with a 19-18 verdict Friday at Orange Coast College.

Peterson, who had started about a dozen games at free safety and strong

safety the last two seasons, was called upon to make his first start at

cornerback against the Vaqueros.

One might say Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley not only wanted him on

that corner, he o7 neededf7 him on that corner.

Peterson responded by intercepting two passes and recovering a fumble,

all in the second half, to help the Tars rally from a 12-0 deficit and claim their second section crown in 69 seasons.

Peterson also returned three kickoffs for 59 yards, returned his first

fourth-quarter interception 19 yards, and had a quarterback sack in his

final prep performance. These contributions made him the Daily Pilot

Player of the Week.

“I can’t think of a better ending,” the 6-foot, 175-pounder said. “Not so

much for having a great (individual) game, but just being a senior and

having our team winning CIF for the second time ever.”

Peterson’s insistence on sharing Friday’s success, as only one of the few

good men who helped the Tars finish 13-0-1, reflects his passion for the

team ideal.

“Kelsey never once complained when he wasn’t starting,” Brinkley said.

“He was our swing guy in the secondary, because he could play all the

positions. The games he didn’t start, he came in pretty early. He never

started at corner before, but we knew we needed a little more from Andre

(the starting tailback who had doubled at cornerback the first 13 games).

Kelsey was always someone we could put in without missing a beat, so we

decided to start him at corner.”

Brinkley praised Peterson’s quickness and speed, which also helped him

contribute as the third receiver. But Brinkley cited intangibles as

Peterson’s leading attribute.

“As a person, Kelsey is just solid,” Brinkley said. “I can’t say enough

good things about his work ethic. He was a great role model for his

teammates and just really an outstanding person. I was talking with my

coaches the other night about him wanting to go to the Naval Academy and

I said ‘What a great guy to defend the country.’ If I could have any guy

fighting for me, I’d like it to be him.”

Peterson posted a 4.8 GPA the first quarter (advanced placement classes

allow students to surpass the straight-A 4.0 scale) and his 4.3 overall

standard puts him on the short list of senior academicians.

Peterson, awaiting the congressional appointment needed to finalize his

spot at Annapolis, said he hopes to become a pilot.

Before he moves on, however, he helped make the skies less than friendly

for Sea View League rival Irvine.

Peterson was victimized by a perfectly executed fade pattern, which

produced an 11-yard touchdown to push the lead to 12-0 with 3:26 left in

the first quarter.

But, he returned the ensuing kickoff 25 yards to initiate a drive that

culminated in a 38-yard Brian Gaeta field goal.

“In athletics, something bad is usually going to happen,” Peterson said.

“But you have to forget about it. As with all adversity, you just have to

bounce back.”

Peterson helped the entire squad do just that on the first play of the

second half. End Nick Langsdorf forced a fumble and Peterson fell on it

at the Irvine 13. Four plays later, Gaeta kicked another field goal to

close the gap to 12-6.

Irvine padded the lead to 18-6 with a long TD pass on the opposite side

of the field Peterson was protecting, but the Sailors eventually rallied

to take a one-point edge with 10:15 left.

When Irvine took to the air to try to regain the lead, Peterson and his

mates in the secondary stepped up.

After a Billy Clayton interception, Peterson halted Irvine’s final two

possessions with picks, doubling his season total.

Peterson said the clinching interception, with 33 seconds left, is

something he’ll always remember.

“I wanted to hold onto that ball,” he said.