Prep football: No mercy

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - As its injury list proliferates, leaving sidelined

athletes on crutches, in casts, and even confined to a wheelchair, it

shouldn’t be surprising that the Corona del Mar High football team

doesn’t muster much sympathy for an opponent’s misfortune.

So it was Thursday night at the Santa Ana Bowl, when the Sea Kings

pounced on five Saddleback turnovers, as well as two punt snap snafus and

a stop on fourth-and-four, to earn a 45-21 nonleague triumph.

“We took advantage of their mistakes, and they made a lot,” CdM Coach

Dick Freeman said. “That’s the only reason we won the game. If they

didn’t make so many mistakes, they’d have been in the ballgame all the

way.”

The opportunism was immediate for CdM, which drove 54 yards on eight

plays with opening kickoff.

On the ensuing series, a high punt snap helped set the CdM offense

back up at the Saddleback 26.

Saddleback’s next possession produced a low punt snap, which gave CdM

possession at the Roadrunners’ 29.

Both miscues led to touchdowns and a 21-0 deficit from which the hosts

never recovered.

Saddleback, however, produced 14 points on two turnover-free drives

before halftime, prompting the CdM secondary to get a little protective

of the lead in the second half.

Cornerback Steven Ward intercepted at his own 38 to halt Saddleback’s

first third-quarter possession and set up a CdM touchdown.

Kris Cooper, Jonathan Hubbard and Keith Long added second-half

interceptions for CdM. Cooper returned his 64 yards for a touchdown,

while linebacker Dave Simon’s 26-yard fumble return led to yet another

TD.

Six times Saddleback drove into CdM territory in the second half

without scoring, including one march to the Sea Kings’ 11 and another to the 23.

In addition to the aforementioned take-aways, Freeman credited junior

inside linebacker Matt Cooper and senior tackle Jayson Skalla for

providing formidable opposition to a Saddleback offense that just kept

coming.

Matt Cooper was in on 20 tackles, as Saddleback’s no-huddle scheme

helped it produce an eye-popping 85 offensive plays.

Freeman remains concerned about his defense, but believes a shift from

a four-three to a four-two-five scheme has created some adjustment

problems.

“It doesn’t help that at some positions, we’ve had a different guy

each week,” said Freeman, who suited only 29 players Thursday. “But we’re

getting better and we’re going to have to keep improving.”

CdM injury woes, which did not worsen against the Roadrunners, have

prompted some unusual deployment of personnel, including 6-foot-3,

265-pound offensive tackle Steven Russell playing two plays at fullback.

Freeman said his coaching staff may have to continue to seek creative

solutions to its depleted depth chart.

“We were training linebackers on the sideline,” Freeman quipped.

The victory, however, the team’s first in three weeks, should help the

Sea Kings (2-1-1) re-energize as they approach their final Pacific Coast

League tuneup, a road date Friday against Westminster (1-3), Freeman

said.