Prep football: Friday football games rescheduled

Barry Faulkner

Coaches and athletic directors from four Newport-Mesa Unified

School District high schools scrambled Thursday afternoon and evening to

reschedule today’s athletic contests, after receiving a directive from

Superintendent Robert Barbot, to cancel extra curricular activities in

observance of the national day of prayer and remembrance.

Costa Mesa High and Corona del Mar, originally slated to play football

games tonight, will, barring unforeseen developments, play Saturday.

Estancia, also scheduled to play tonight, was making tentative plans

Thursday to play Saturday.

Newport Harbor, which Wednesday had its Thursday football game with

Marina rescheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Westminster High, remains

set to follow through with that plan.

Costa Mesa will visit Westminster at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to

Mustangs Coach Dave Perkins, who, like his district colleagues, was

notified of tonight’s cancellations after practice began Thursday.

CdM Coach Dick Freeman said the Sea Kings are set to face Troy High

Saturday at 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.

Estancia Coach Jay Noonan said logistics, specifically game time, were

still being worked out by Aliso Niguel, which would conceivably host the

game Saturday. Noonan said Aliso officials suggested an afternoon

kickoff, but he would prefer a 7 p.m. start. There is, Noonan said, also

a potential conflict with a youth football league that uses Aliso

Niguel’s stadium for games Saturday. These issues will not be resolved

until today.

Girls volleyball teams from Newport Harbor, CdM and Sage Hill,

scheduled to begin competition at several venues Friday in the Dave Mohs

Memorial Tournament, will now compete under a revised tournament format

beginning Saturday, according to Sailors Boys Athletic Director Eric

Tweit.

There was no word Thursday whether CdM and Estancia boys water polo

home games, scheduled today with Foothill and Loara, respectively, would

be rescheduled.

Newport Harbor’s girls golf match with Sage Hill, scheduled today, is

off. Sage Hill Athletic Director Nate Miller said the Newport Coast-based

private school would likely follow other Orange County public schools’

lead and not play today’s scheduled girls tennis match with Whitney,

another private school.

Miller said a water polo tournament the Lightning had entered at San

Clemente High, scheduled for today and Saturday, has been canceled.

Newport-Mesa teams plan to compete in activities scheduled Saturday,

including the Woodbridge cross country invitational, according to

Estancia Principal Tom Antal, who noted the Newport-Mesa Unified

directive prohibited competition on Friday only.

Freeman, Perkins, Noonan and Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley said

they would support the district’s decision not to hold competition

Friday. But they all expressed disappointment the decision was not made

earlier.

There was also concern among coaches about the effect Thursday’s

changes would have on preparation routines.

“This week has been an emotional roller coaster,” said Perkins, who,

at one point Wednesday, had made tentative plans to replace Westminster

as this week’s opponent. I had three teams scheduled and our practice

preparation Wednesday was for a team other than Westminster. Our practice

deal has been messed up, but we’ll just have to refocus.”

Noonan said his players’ reaction to the delay from today to Saturday

would be difficult to predict.

“We try to taper the emotional state of our players to be ready to

play a certain day and now we have to rework that,” Noonan said. “I’m not

sure how the kids will react to this.”

Said Freeman, “We told our kids today after practice that this week is

becoming less about what kind of football team they are than how they can

adjust to this whole situation.”

Securing officials, a potential concern after games were moved to

Saturday, should not be an issue, according to coaches.