Friday night at the oasis

Barry Faulkner

CATHEDRAL CITY - First-class golf courses surround Cathedral City

High, but it’s a more compact grass layout which has become a desert

oasis for Coach Rick Baughman’s Lions, who host Newport Harbor Friday for

a 7:30 p.m. nonleague football game.

The two-time defending Desert Valley League champions (6-2 and ranked

No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division VIII) have won 13 straight home games at the venue known locally as the Lions’ den.

The Lions haven’t exactly been a soft touch on the road the last three

seasons, during which they have built a 27-5 record and a reputation for

aerial fireworks.

“They’re used to winning and they throw the ball all over the yard,”

said Newport Coach Jeff Brinkley, who witnessed the run-and-shoot

practitioners’ 18-7 league win over Indio in person last week. “They draw

a nice crowd and it’s a nice atmosphere to play in.”

The Sailors (6-2, 2-1 in the Sea View League and ranked No. 6 in CIF

Division VI), of course, are hardly short on winning tradition

themselves. They are 25-6-1 over the same three seasons and have a pair

of section titles in the last six years, including last year’s Division

VI crown.

Baughman, who referred to the Tars as “a team that looks like Penn

State,” after last week’s triumph, is fully aware of Harbor’s prowess.

Newport, which Brinkley said will “heal up” by not practicing in full

gear during its week off from league play, would clinch a guaranteed

playoff berth should Aliso Niguel defeat visiting Woodbridge Friday. If

Woodbridge wins, the Tars must knock off Aliso Nov. 10, or hope Irvine

handles Woodbridge, to be assured a top-three finish. Two Woodbridge

triumphs and an Aliso win over Harbor next week, would produce a

three-way tie for second, which would be broken by coin flips.

The Sailors are led offensively by senior tailback Chris Manderino,

who has nearly 1,200 rushing yards in six starts, since shifting from

quarterback. He has 1,179 yards on 208 carries and has scored 15

touchdowns.

Junior Morgan Craig has completed 48 of 85 for 551 yards, five TDs and

only one interception. Brinkley said last week, Craig is on the verge of

a breakout performance.

Brian Gaeta leads Sailor receivers with 30 catches for 398 yards and

three TDs.

Cathedral City’s defense is led by All-CIF senior linebacker DeShaun

Bradley.

Brinkley said Harbor could add a fifth defensive back to combat the

run-and-shoot, with sophomore Bryce Sawyer the likely candidate to join

cornerbacks Gaeta (four interceptions) and Ryan Spruth, as well as

safeties Dane Barton and David Sprenger.

Brinkley also said junior pass-rush specialist Jim Rothwell could see

playing time on the defensive line, where senior ends Garrett Troncale

(eight sacks) and Ian Banigan (4.5 sacks) could be shifted around to

exploit matchups with Lion pass blockers.

If given time, Cathedral City senior quarterback Blake Moorman has

shown he can be dangerous. The 6-foot, 165-pounder has thrown for 1,334

yards and 17 TDs this fall (completing 86 of 175 with eight

interceptions). He has 4,057 yards and 55 TDs in his two seasons as the

starter.

Senior receiver Jeff Lambert has 44 catches for 701 yards and 11 TDs,

while running back Thaniel Lee has rushed for 780 yards and 11 TDs on 119

attempts.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for our DBs and our pass rush, and

if you start detaching too many people, they will run the ball,” Brinkley

said.

Cathedral City, which was ranked No. 1 in Division VIII until losing

to league rival and current No. 1 La Quinta, 53-21, also lost to San

Bernardino, 33-20. But Baughman, was not there for the La Quinta game,

having been ejected the week before, and seven starters were suspended

against San Bernardino.

At full strength, the Lions have posted single-game outputs of 69, 60

and 57 points, against Desert Hot Springs, Coachella Valley and Moreno

Valley, respectively. They are averaging nearly 36 points per game.

Harbor’s defense has yielded only 12 points per game, but 36 of the 97

points scored by opponents have come in the fourth quarter against

backups.