Prep football: Block(er) of granite

Barry Faulkner

A fan of the World Wrestling Federation, Newport Harbor High senior

Travis Trimble’s favorite performer is “The Rock.” This is, somehow,

fitting for the rolling boulder of the Sailors’ offense.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound battering ram of a fullback has laid nearly as

many blocks in two years as a varsity starter, as the ancient Egyptians

dropped at Giza.

“Personally, I enjoy hitting people,” said Trimble, a former Jr.

All-American offensive lineman for whom carrying the ball is almost a

distraction.

Trimble, who will start his 27th varsity game Friday night, when the

Sailors host Irvine in the CIF Southern Section Division VI championship

football game at Orange Coast College, has 21 carries this fall for a

pedestrian 113 yards. He has, however, scored two touchdowns, including a

5-yard rumble on his only carry in Saturday’s 35-16 semifinal triumph

over top-seeded La Mirada. It was his second carry in a month.

Trimble’s career numbers include 36 rushing attempts for 159 yards and

four TDs. He has also caught 10 passes for 145 yards (five for 40 this

fall) and another TD.

His mother, Roxanne, is still talking about last year’s windfall

against Aliso Niguel, when he gained 85 yards on three receptions. His

single-game rushing record is 38 yards, on six attempts against Cathedral

City this year in Week 9.

But Trimble doesn’t waste time fantasizing about finesse. He packed on

17 pounds in the offseason in order to bring more to the point of

contact, not the end zone.

“I just like my job,” he said. “Any time I get the ball, it’s a

surprise. It’s fun to score a touchdown, or catch a pass in the flat and

be one-on-one with a cornerback. But the biggest thing on my mind (in

those situations) is not to fumble.”

Typically, the only thing jarred loose when Trimble is involved, is a

defender’s cognitive state.

“He can turn some guys over,” Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said,

referring to Trimble’s ability to plant opponents on their posterior.

“He only gets the ball about once or twice a game, so most of the

time, he’s plugging up in there. He’s an offensive lineman-type guy, who

is unselfish and believes in the team concept.”

Trimble also believes in corporal punishment, which, for him, involves

slamming the front of his helmet into an opponent’s upper torso/face.

His primary block involves kicking out the defensive end/outside

linebacker on the Sailors’ favorite off-tackle running play: “Power.”

When Harbor runs “Blast” up the middle, he typically leads on a

linebacker.

“When we run blast, I’m trying to blow the linebacker out of the

whole,” Trimble said. “I just try to get a good piece of him.”

His kick-out blocks, his favorite, must be much more precise.

“You have to get the inside angle and it’s usually a little bit

different against every team,” Trimble said.

With Trimble leading the way, behind a stalwart offensive line, senior

tailback Chris Manderino has amassed 2,068 yards and a school

single-season record 31 touchdowns.

Last year, Trimble contributed to the late Andre Stewart’s

Newport-Mesa District single-season record 2,404 yards. Trimble was named

second-team All-Sea View League by the Daily Pilot in 1999.

“He has been a really good I-formation fullback for us,” Brinkley

said. “He’s willing to do whatever it takes for us to be successful and I

know Andre and Chris have really appreciated what he’s done for them.”

Manderino said Trimble has been even more effective in the postseason.

“He doesn’t get a lot of recognition, but he’s done a great job all

year,” Manderino said. “And he’s really gotten to his blocks the last

couple weeks.”