Prep football: First impressionable

Barry Faulkner

ALISO VIEJO - When it comes to Sea View League openers, the Newport

Harbor High football team has been first impressionable.

Entering Friday’s 7 p.m. league kickoff at Aliso Niguel High, the

Sailors have won just two of their last seven initial league contests.

Both times (1994 and ‘99), they went on to claim the league title, as

well as the CIF Southern Section divisional crown.

So, with the 3-1 Wolverines lying in wait, Coach Jeff Brinkley

believes his Sailors (4-0-1), ranked No. 5 in Orange County and No. 2 in

CIF Division VI, must prepare to make a strong opening statement.

“We want to keep our momentum rolling and get another win under our

belt as we drive toward making the playoffs,” Brinkley said. “And with a

small (five-team) league like ours, every game is critical.”

There has been little to be critical about for Brinkley and his staff,

whose squad has shown extreme offensive efficiency and dominated on

defense, as well.

The Sailors first-string offense has scored on its last eight

possessions and 15 of its last 18, including 13 touchdowns.

Averaging nearly 33 points per game, the Sailors have also shown the

ability to succeed on the ground and in the air.

Senior quarterback Morgan Craig completed 12 of 13 for a career-high

226 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 41-0 thumping of Millikan.

He is now 46 of 69 (71%) for 581 yards and 10 TDs, with no interceptions.

Craig’s favorite targets have been senior Adam Kerns (12 catches for

275 yards and six TDs) and junior Mike McDonald (10 for 122 yards and one

TD).

When Craig hands off, junior tailback Dartangan Johnson has done most

of the damage, behind an impressive offensive line. Johnson has 823 yards

and seven TDs on 111 carries.

The front wall will be altered slightly, since senior right tackle

John Dobrott is expected to be sidelined with a strained knee.

All-CIF senior returner Robert Chai anchors things at left tackle,

with junior A.J. Slater moving in at left guard. Senior Jeff Marshall

remains at center, with senior Bryan Breland shifting from left to right

guard. Junior Chris Badorek moves from right guard to right tackle.

Harbor’s defense, however, has hardly been overshadowed by the

offense. Despite the absence of a single returning starter, the unit

guided by defensive coordinator Evan Chalmers leads the county in scoring

defense, yielding a paltry 5.6 points per contest. Newport has two

shutouts and has only had two TDs scored against its first-team defense.

“We know what we’re up against,” said Aliso Niguel Coach Joe Wood,

whose team has earned victories over Capistrano Valley, Trabuco Hills and

Katella. The Wolverines, 1-3 in each of their first two years in the Sea

View, suffered their only defeat this season to San Clemente, 28-21.

Aliso, which started few seniors last year, counts on its ample

experience to make a run at a CIF playoff spot this fall.

The Wolverines are led offensively by senior quarterback Bryce

Latimer, a three-year starter. He has completed 40 of 66 passes for 505

yards and three TDs. He has thrown two interceptions.

“They spread you out quite a bit, run a lot of one-back stuff and

throw it, but they’re pretty balanced,” Brinkley said of the Wolverines.

Trent Carroll, a 5-foot-6, 160-pound junior, is the leading ground

gainer with 325 yards on 79 attempts. His seven TDs include one 29-yard

scoring reception.

Don Hawthorne is the leading receiving threat. He caught seven passes

for 107 yards against Trabuco Hills, including a 64-yard scoring hookup

with Latimer.

The Wolverines also feature returning all-league picker and punter

Stephan Berneking.

“(Berneking) is the best we’ve seen and maybe the best we’re going to

see,” Brinkley said.

Newport has won both meetings between the schools, including a 42-7

triumph last season.