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.
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