Prep football: Sea View title showdown

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Visiting Woodbridge High has had two weeks to

prepare for Friday’s 7 p.m. Sea View League football showdown at Newport

Harbor. Whether the Warriors are too weakened to win, remains to be seen.

Woodbridge (6-1, 2-0 in league), ranked No. 7 in CIF Southern Section

Division VI, saw Will Banks and Chris Westover, its top two running

backs, both go down with knee injuries in its last game, a 42-21

trouncing of Laguna Hills Oct. 19. The Warriors had a bye last week.

The status of both players remains uncertain, but if Banks, a two-way

starter and arguably the Warriors’ best player, is unable to play,

Woodbridge’s running game will rely on a replacement who has not passed

the 100-yard mark this season.

Banks is the team’s leading rusher and scorer with 649 yards and six

TDs on 124 carries. He also has contributed greatly to the Warriors’ 46

defense.

Westover has rushed for 76 yards and two TDs on 18 carries, and no

other Warrior has more than 38 yards rushing this season.

Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley, whose team (7-0-1, 3-0) is ranked

No. 7 in Orange County and No. 1 in CIF Division VI, won’t worry about

who does or does not suit up for the opposition Friday.

Instead, the quest for the Sea View League championship, which would

be the school’s 10th league crown in 71 varsity seasons, is enough to

occupy the focus of Brinkley and his players.

“It’s a league championship game, even though Woodbridge still has

another game with Aliso Niguel (Nov. 9),” Brinkley said. “A league title

means a lot. Our school hasn’t won very many and for us to win one would

be quite an accomplishment.”

A victory would give Harbor its sixth outright league title, its third

in Brinkley’s 16-season tenure.

Even without Banks, however, the Warriors figure to provide a

formidable challenge. Coach Rick Gibson’s squad has won five straight

after a 33-15 loss in Week 2 to highly regarded Foothill, ranked No. 1 in

Division VI most of the season, before falling to No. 5 with a loss last

week to El Modena.

Newport should be ready to assume the challenge, however, especially

after stumbling early in last week’s 20-10 league win over Laguna Hills.

Laguna Hills’ 10-0 lead was the first deficit the Sailors had faced

all season and the Tars parlayed five Hawks’ turnovers into a

come-from-behind triumph.

Brinkley expects Woodbridge to come out throwing, with junior

quarterback Tim Kegel at the controls.

“They’ve spread people out and thrown the ball a lot,” Brinkley said.

Kegel has completed 76 of 165 for 845 yards, but has thrown only one

more touchdown (eight) than interception.

Newport Harbor senior quarterback Morgan Craig has thrown for more

yards (917) and touchdowns (14) and has the same number of completions in

55 fewer attempts (hitting on 69%).

J.T. Perryman has been Kegel’s leading target with 24 catches for 301

yards and two TDs. Sean Smith, with 22 receptions for 229 yards and two

TDs, is also a receiver of note.

Opponents have earned more yardage through the air (922) than on the

ground (877) against a Newport Harbor defense that has surrendered the

fewest points of any county team.

Opponents have posted 47 points against Harbor this fall, but only 45

have come against the Tars’ defense and 14 of those were scored against a

reserve unit.

Senior cornerback Adam Kerns (a team-high four interceptions),

linebackers Cory Ray and Tyler Miller, as well as end Jim Rothwell and

tackle Scott Kohan, have been defensive anchors for the Sailors all

season.

Senior nose guard Joe Foley should also be ready to shine after

another week to recover from an ankle injury that noticeably slowed him

last week.

Senior Brian Gaeta, making his third start after missing five games

with an ankle injury, should also be ready to assume a bigger defensive

role.

Offensively, the aforementioned Craig leads an efficient unit, which

is averaging nearly 28 points per game.

In addition to his passing excellence, Craig has rushed for 347 yards,

including 181 yards and all three of his rushing TDs on 25 carries in

three league games.

When Craig isn’t scrambling, and he’s been sacked just once in the

last six games, he has spread the ball around to a talented group of

receivers.

Kerns and junior Mike McDonald lead the team with 16 receptions

apiece, but Kerns has produced seven aerial TDs. Senior Jon Vandersloot,

who missed most of the preleague campaign, has also bolstered the group

of late. He has 11 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Gaeta, who caught 62 passes as a junior, hauled in five against Laguna

Hills.

Junior Dartangan Johnson has been the workhorse of the ground game. He

has rushed 190 times for 1,235 yards and eight TDs, operating behind a

massive front paced by UCLA-bound senior left tackle Robert Chai,

Montana-bound senior center Jeff Marshall and senior guard Bryan Breland.

All three are two-year starters.

Newport Harbor leads the series, 10-3, including two straight wins,

though Woodbridge has earned a split in the last four meetings.