Freshman football: Sailors crowned

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - These were the words for the champions: “This is

just the start. Now you have to make the commitment,” Coach Joe Urban

told his Newport Harbor High freshman football team Thursday.

Work seems infinite for champions and the Sailors displayed their toil

in a 35-0 victory over visiting Woodbridge to win the Sea View League

title with an undefeated record. Newport’s championship is its first

since 1984, when the Sailors finished 8-2. This year’s Sailors finished

8-0, 4-0 in league and will play as a team made up of freshman and

sophomores against Westchester next week.

Newport played one game short this year due to the Sept. 11 terrorist

attacks on America.

“As far as I know, there hasn’t been an undefeated team (at Newport),”

Urban said of his 8-0 squad. “This is just the start for them. I’m here

to get them ready for Jeff Brinkley to take them to the promised land.”

Against the Warriors (4-4, 2-2), the Sailors basically ended the game

in the first half when Newport scored on four of its five offensive

drives to build a 28-0 lead. In that first half, the Tars’ defense caused

two turnovers, didn’t allow a first down and gave up just 13 yards, while

the special teams came up with a safety. Newport quarterback Kasey Peters

completed 8 of 10 pass attempts for 141 yards and three touchdowns

before halftime. He also scored on a 1-yard run to cap a nine-play,

67-yard opening drive.

The Tars’ defense then went to work and sent the Warriors

three-and-out. Newport linebacker Corey McCartney stuffed Woodbridge’s

Reshad Bahadori for a 1-yard loss on first down and again on third down

to force the Warriors to punt.

Four plays later, Peters rolled right and lofted a 16-yard touchdown

to Greg Miner. The drive, which started at midfield, was keyed by

tailback Spencer Link and his 21-yard scamper.

After another Woodbridge three-and-out series, Newport capitalized

with another touchdown when Peters hooked up with Miner again for a

23-yard touchdown and a 20-0 lead.

Newport then earned a safety on the kickoff when Miner and Grant

Casserly, along with other Sailors, fell on top of a Woodbridge runner

who fumbled the ball into the end zone.

The only thing that stopped Newport was Newport. The Sailors fumbled

on Woodbridge 5-yard-line to end what could have been another scoring

drive. But the Tars’ defense maintained its momentum as Miner recorded an

interception and ran it back 18 yards to the 1-yard line, but the Sailors

lost the ball on a turnover.

Again Newport’s defense answered the call when Trevor Theriot, known

to most as, “Moose,” recovered a Woodbridge fumble to give the Sailors’

offense one last play before halftime.

With eight seconds left, Peters released a spiral deep to the right

corner for a 27-yard touchdown pass to Matt Erickson to end the half.

Newport defensive lineman Thomas Martin opened the second half with

more heroics. He broke up a middle screen, intercepted the Woodbridge

pass and ran it back 37 yards to set up the Sailors’ final touchdown.

Link, who rushed for a game high 91 yards on 13 carries, ran for a

12-yard gain to the 1 and then punched it in on the next play, sending

the Sailors’ sideline into celebration.

“This wasn’t about 15 guys,” Urban told his players’ parents after the

game. “This was about 55 guys who made the commitment. There will never

be a better freshman team than this.”